Blaunche Escrepes means literally “white pancakes” (think “blanches crepes” if you have any French.) They were made in England in the 1200s from white wheat flour. They were often used to accompany “Poume d’oranges” (pork meatballs.) Cooking Tips A batter is made of the flour and beaten, fluffy egg white, with some white wine to…
Medieval
Bread Sauce Recipe
For Thanksgiving or Christmas (or anytime), consider reviving an old tradition which has just about vanished completely — bread sauce. Bread sauce was always a classic accompaniment to pork or chicken.
Fine Powder
Fine Powder is a medieval term for a particular spice mixture. You could purchase the blend in markets or from apothecaries, or make it. Many of the cookbooks called for it, but assumed you knew what it was and how to mix it up. It’s not entirely sure whether “fine” meant “very good, desirable” or…
Frumenty Recipe
This is a medieval English recipe. The plain frumenty can be used as a breakfast dish.
Grains of Paradise
Grains of Paradise grow on a perennial herb belonging to the same family as ginger and turmeric. The plant has rhizomes underground, and above ground can grow up to 3 feet (1 metre) tall, with narrow reedish leaves, 10 inches (25 cm) long x 1 inch (2 ½ cm) wide. The flowers are beautiful, looking…
Horseradish Greens
Horseradish Greens are the aboveground tops of Horseradish Plants. They have a bit of a bite to them, but nothing close to the bite that the root does. The young leaves are the best to use, when they are 3 inches long or less (7.5 cm.) Their flavour is quite mild. Larger than that, they…
Kvass: A low-alcohol Russian fermented drink.
Kvass is a alcoholic drink made in Russia. It ends up as a foggy liquid with yeast suspended in it, and has a very low alcohol level. In households, the most common way to make Kvass was to toast rye bread or dry it out in the oven, and soak it in water allowing it…
Poudre d’Ermenesque
A spice mixture made from ground cumin and fenugreek. [Editor’s note: mentioned by William Woys Weaver in Plants & Gardens News Volume 17, Number 1. Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Spring 2002.] History Notes Used in the Middle Ages in Europe.
Poudre Marchant
Poudre Marchant is a flavouring powder which seems to appear only once in written history: “Cook they hadde with hem for the nones, To boil the chiknes with the marybones, And poudre-marchant, tart and galingale. Wel coude he knowe a draughte of London ale. (Chaucer, 1386) General Prologue 381. Some people read the line in…
Powder Blanch
Powder Blanch was a generic name for a spice blend used in the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, which means means “White Powder.” Just as when we say “Italian seasoning”, there was no set list of ingredients, rather just the spirit of an idea that you attempted to capture. It was a mix you…
Powder Douce
Powder Douce was a generic name for a spice blend used in the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. The name means “Sweet Powder.” Just as when we say “Italian seasoning”, there was no set list of ingredients, rather just the spirit of an idea that you attempted to capture. It may well be that…
Powder Forte
Powder Forte was a generic name for a spice blend used in the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Just as when we say “Italian seasoning”, there was no set list of ingredients, rather just the spirit of an idea that you attempted to capture. It may well be that various merchants selling it would…