A selection of vegetable recipes from the 1600s

Introduction

Page contains a list of recipes from the 1600s and is designed to compliment the Forty Hall First Fruits event.  I have written about most of these recipes elsewhere on my blog, website or Facebook.  I have included links to these resources at the bottom of the page for people who would like to have a look.

i am starting off with just the original recipes and then where I can I will add some modern instructions.  Most of these recipes are in the public domain and have been for a long time.  However a few are still under copy write and so I have not taken the liberty of reproducing the work of a modern cook whose book is still in print, that would be a bit too cheeky.

When choosing the recipes I have focussed on ones that are vegetarian, don't rely on exotic ingredients and don't use raw or lightly cooked eggs. 

A quick look will show you that the cookery writers of the time did not feel constrained by quantities and the lack of accurate measurements can be very annoying to modern cooks.  If it helps, try to think of this in a positive way, if you hate a certain ingredient then use it very sparingly.  Make small quantities to start with and have fun experimenting until you arrive at a recipe that works for you.

Recipes

To butter Gourds, Pumpions, Cucumbers or Muskmelons. Robert May 1660

Cut them into pieces, and pare and cleanse them; then have a boiling pan of water, and when it boils put in the pumpions, &c. with some salt, being boil’d, drain them well from the water, butter them, and serve them on sippets with pepper. Otherways. Bake them in an oven, and take out the seed at the top, fill them with onions, slic’t apples, butter, and salt, butter them, and serve them on sippets. Otherways. Fry them in slices, being cleans’d & peel’d, either floured or in batter; being fried, serve them with beaten butter, and vinegar, or beaten butter and juyce of orange, or butter beaten with a little water, and served in a clean dish with fryed parsley, elliksanders, apples, slic’t onions fryed, or sweet herbs.

Vegetables in 1600s

A list of Vegetables from 1669

(I will be adding to this post in the future)

Sir Kenelm Digby was a gentleman, a privateers, diplomat, scientist and intellectual.  During his varied life, lived through one of England's most turbulent periods of history, he collected recipes from his friends.  Published after his death, The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Knight Opened, covers and extraordinary range of subjects and gives so many recipes for different alcoholic drinks that you might be forgiven for thinking that the favourite hobby of the English aristocracy was making home brew.

 

Sir Kenelm Digby, artist unknown

At the very end, in Appendix III it lists all of the herbs, flowers, fruits and less common vegetables used in the cook book along with other flavourings.  He does add that he left out the more common vegetables. For instance I know that he definitely has recipes that include peas, beans and asparagus.  So for anyone interested in what green and growing things the people of the 17th century might have been using, here is the list.  I have added  some spacings.

It must be remembered that Sir Digby was wandering around Europe with the royal court who would have had access to a lot more food than everyone else.

APPENDIX III A LIST OF THE HERBS, FLOWERS, FRUITS, ETC., REFERRED TO IN The Closet Opened:— 

1. Agrimony; alexander; angelica; avens, leaves & flowers; balm; bay-leaves; beet leaves; bettony, wild; bettony, Paul's; bistort; bloodwort; bluebottles; blue-button; borage, leaves & flowers; bramble, red, tops of; broom-buds; bugle; bugloss, leaves & flowers; burnet; carduus benedictus; carrot, wild; celandine; cersevril; chicory; chives; clove gilly-flowers; clown's all-heal; coltsfoot; comfrey; cowslip & French cowslip flowers; dragons; elder flowers; endive; eyebright; fennel; fever-few; garlic; ground-ivy; groundsel; hart's tongue, leaves; hops, flowers; horehound; hypericum, tops & flowers; hyssop; ladies' mantle; lettuce, leaves & stalks; lily of the valley; liquorice; liverwort; maidenhair; marigold, flowers & leaves; marjoram, sweet; marjoram, wild; marshmallow, leaves, flowers, & stalks; may-weed, brown; meadowsweet; mellilot, flowers; mint; spearmint; mouse-ear; mugwort; muscovy; nettle, red; oak of Jerusalem; organ; origanum [wild marjoram]; oseille; parietary; peas (chick); pellitory-of-the-wall; penny-royal; philipendula; pimpernel; pourpier; primrose, flowers; purslane; ribwort; rocket; rosemary, tops, flowers, & sprigs; rose; rue; sage, (red & wild), leaves & flowers; saxifrage; sanicle; scabious; scurvy grass; self-heal; shallots; sibboulets; skirrets; smallage; sorrel (wood); spike [spignel?]; spleenwort; spinach; St. John's wort; strawberry leaves; sweetbriar, leaves, tops, buds; sweet oak; sweetwort; tamarisk; tansy; thyme (broad, lemon, mother, & wild); violet, leaves & flowers; wallflowers (yellow); wall rue; watercress; wheat (green); white-wort; winter savoury; woodbine; wormwood (sea & Roman); yarrow. (From this list I have omitted the commoner vegetables.) 

2. Roots.—Alexander; angelica; asparagus; beet; betony, bittersweet; bluebottle; borage; coltsfoot; elecampane; eringo; fennel; fern; galingale; horse-radish; marshmallow; nettle (red); orris; parsley; scabious; sorrel; strawberry; succory; thyme (wild); tormentilla. 

3. Seeds.—Anise; cardamom; carraway; citron; coriander; fennel; gromwell; melon; musk grains; mustard; nettle; parsley; saffron; tulip, seedy buds of; wormwood. 

4. Fruits.—Apples (codlings, ginet moils, pearmains, pippins, golden pippins, red streaks); apricots; barberries; bilberries; cherries (black, Kentish, Morello); currants (dried, black, red); damsons; dates; jujubes; juniper berries; lemons; pears (bon chrétien & wardens); plums; prunes; raisins; rasps; sweetbriar berries; strawberries. 

5. Barks, woods.—Ash-tree bark; lignum cassiæ. 

6. Nuts.—Almonds; chestnuts; pine kernels; pistachios; walnuts (green). 

7. Juices.—Balm; celandine; cherry; hop; lemon; onion; orange; spearmint; spinach; tansy. 

8.—Distilled waters of angelica; cinnamon; mallow; orange-flower; plantain; rose (red & damask). 

9. Spices of all sorts; cloves; cinnamon (also oil of, & spirit of); ginger; mace; mustard; nutmeg; pepper; peppercorns. 

10. Wines.—Canary sack; claret; Deal; elder; Malaga (old); Muscat; Muscadine (Greek); red; Rhenish; sack, sherry sack; Spanish; white.

11. Other liquors.—Ale & beer; afterworts; lees of beer & wine; aqua vitæ; orangeado. 

12. Vinegars of elder wine, & of white wine. 

13. Verjuice of cider, & green sour grapes. 

14. Other notable seasonings and ingredients:— Ambergris; ivory; leaf gold; powder of white amber; powder of pearl; Spanish pastilles

Digby, Kenelm  (2011-12-22). The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened (New Illustrated) (Kindle Locations 3755-3781).  . Kindle Edition.

Spinach tart, recipe 2

With only a month to go until Forty Hall's First Fruits event it is time to start whittling down the possible recipes to the ones which are authentic but also taste nice.  This is one of my favourite vegetable recipes from the period, a spinach tart by the ever reliable Elinor Fettiplace. 

Made with spinach and eggs flavoured with rosewater, currants, ginger and cinnamon, the recipe can sound a bit odd to modern tastes.  The secret is to use the spices sparingly.  A look in a middle eastern cook book will show you any number of recipes that rely on the same flavour combinations.  They are almost always used  in moderation and to very great effect.

 

http://www.fortyhallestate.co.uk/whats-on/events/forty_halls_first_fruits

Sweet potato bake

The very first time I tried sweet potato was at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by friends in Newcastle.  They baked it with sugar and cinnamon and topped it off with mini marshmallows.  They served it right next to the turkey and potatoes as part of the main course.  Then they sat back and played an amusing game of watching the English woman be really polite and try and eat it.  It wasn't that I didn't like their sweet potato dish, it was just that it needed to be in a bowl of its own and served with a good dollop of cream.

I am telling you this so all forgive me for cheating in my latest experiment and intentionally leaving out the sugar.  Not only did I know that I wouldn't like it with extra sugar added but also I wanted to feed it my children for dinner and they don't need any more sugar in their diet.

So, buttered sweet potato, another recipe from the ever reliable Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book.  By 1604, the date at the start of her book, the potato had arrived in Britain but it was the sweet potato that people were eating.  Elinor suggests that this mix of potato, sugar, orange peel, orange juice, butter and rosewater can either be boiled or baked in a pie crust.  I baked mine in a dish (not having time for pastry making today).

 

I have to say that this tasted lovely.  Not only will it be making a star appearance at my Forty Hall demonstration but will also be finding its way into our family menus as well.  The orange flavour worked so well with the sweet potato although I am not sure that I could taste the rosewater.  It is easy too, just needs a bit of planning.   Could easily be made in advance and reheated.

And as to the sugar?  Well, I think I will be making a version with sugar and serving it as a pudding in a sweet pastry case, topped with cream. 

Green Pudding

For 2 weeks now I have been trying to write a post about green pudding.  This is a funny little boiled cake recipe that I want to do at the Forty Hall demonstration.  It tastes nice or at least it will taste nicer next time with less nutmeg and more sugar.  It is easy to make and comes out a bright green colour.   The colour comes from spinach, and when I manage to grow some, marigolds as well.  This adds a little bit to the flavour.  What I like about the recipe is that boiling the cake means you can make them without an oven.  i might even try them next time I am camping. 

Unfortunately, every time I try to load a picture to Blogger, it crashes my computer.  I have put the photo of the finished product up here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=168693689961428&set=a.129968603833937.29726.121042111393253&type=1&theater

So the main point of my post is to ask a question.  If you were going to a historical food demonstration would you rather taste the food exactly as the recipe states (as far this is possible), even though it is really horrible, or would you rather have the flavours toned down and balanced for a modern palate so you can actually eat it?

Friendship cake

A long post but with lots of information, I hope.

This post is for anyone with a friendship cake, it went around our village 2 years ago so I am not sure that many people will still be faithfully keeping theirs going.  I was given mine by a friend and it came with a full page of care and cooking instructions, copied by a very wobbly photocopier.  The instructions were clear, concise and worked, which when all is said and done, is what you want in a recipe.  The best bit was that the cake tasted lovely, not too sweet and with some real depth of flavour.  I managed to keep it up for about three weeks before I decided it was too much effort and that it was time to start experimenting with the instructions. 

After lengthy stays in my fridge and freezer and a varied diet of every sort of milk, flour and sugar that I have had in the house I can now say that my friendship cake, otherwise known as Herman, is nowhere near as delicate or fussy as the original instructions suggest.   It is possible to leave it alone for a long time with no dire consequences, you can adjust the quantities to make a lot less.  Lastly, it is possible to use this not just as a flavour enhancer, there is enough yeast to use the starter as a sour dough and use it to leaven your cake without any other rising agents.  Here goes.....

Original Recipe
To feed cake mix
Day 1
Take 1 starter (I can provide some if you are local to Surrey)
Add 1 tea cup each of flour, sugar and milk
Stir well
Leave for 3 days, uncovered on the side in kitchen
Day 4
Add another tea cup each of flour, sugar and milk
Stir well
Leave for another 5 days
Day 9
Add another tea cup each of flour, sugar and milk
Divide your mixture into 4 equal amounts
Give 3 away
Keep 1 and use it to make the cake on day 10

Day 10 - Cake day

Stir your cake mix and add
1 cup sugar
2 cups plain flour
2 heaped tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup cooking oil
2 apples cut into small chunks
1/2 cup walnuts optional
1 cup raisins (optional)
Mix it all together, pour into a well greased cake tin (I use a small, square roasting tin that measures about 8 inches on each side)
Sprinkle 1/4 cup fo brown sugar over the top
Bake for 45 minutes at about 170 to 180 degrees C.

My version of the sour dough recipe

First up, some notes.

• This is a live yeast mix, it is not killed by cold temperatures in the fridge or even the freezer!  You can put it in either with no ill effects as long as you don't leave it too long.
• You can cover it up for a few days as long as your pot is big enough to allow for some spare air space.
• If you are in the habit of using anti bacterial sprays, spray polish or any other chemical sprays then I would strongly recommend coving your cake sour dough.  All these cleaning sprays are poisonous to you and your sour dough.  
• You don't have to make the large quantities in the recipe above, yes I know it is nice to give some away sometimes and that is fine but if you start to see friends running in the opposite direction every time you take out a lunch box then it is time to take the hint :-).
• Yeast is killed by alcohol and carbon dioxide.  This is a problem as when yeast feeds on the sugar it produces alcohol and CO2.  If you leave the cake mix too long between feeds then it effectively poisons itself.  However, once you have got used to the normal smell and taste of your mix there is nothing to stop you experimenting with how long you can leave it between feeds to build up a nice, beery flavour which will add depth to your final cake.
• I have fed the sour dough with wholemeal flour and rye flour, with no problem,  I have also used oat milk or soya milk instead of cows milk.  It all seems to work just fine.  The only thing to remember is that traces of the flour and milks will remain in your sour dough even after a few cycles so be careful with allergies.  
• When you are fed up with it all then feed the mix one, last time and pop it in the freezer.  The longest I have frozen mine for was 14 months.  When it came out it was very beery smelling indeed.  I fed it again (although signs did not look at all good) and left it alone.  It took four days for bubbles to start to appear again but the mix recovered very nicely indeed and is the same one as you can see in the pictures here.

So, with all this in mind....here are my suggested instructions for Herman, the Friendship Cake

Day 1  Receive your lovely new pot of cake mix, bubbling away merrily and giving off a fainly sour, beery smell.
Put it in the fridge, covered for a few days until you have time to sort it all out.
Take it out of fridge and leave overnight, still covered, in a warm kitchen.

My sour dough after it has been in the fridge for a week.  At the top you can see the smooth surface and below, where it has been stirred, the lovely, bubbly texture that shows it is still alive with plenty of gluten in the flour to hold the bubbles.

 Feed with 1 tea cup each of flour, sugar and milk.
Cover again and leave somewhere warm for at least 3 days to ferment.
It will bubble up quite a lot so make sure it is in a large enough tub.
Weigh out around 200 grams of mix and use this to make the cake.
Leave the rest in the tub or pot, feed again with more milk, flour and sugar and pop it in the fridge again.

To make a cake without added raising agent..
Take your 200g of mix and add 1 cup of flour,
Stir well (it will be quite stiff)
Cover with a tea towell and leave for a few hours or over night.  This is making a sour dough sponge where the yeast is multiplying in the flour.
Next day add all other over ingredients, stir well and put in a tin.
Leave to rest somewhere warm until you see some bubbles coming to the surface, this will take about an hour or two.
Then bake as normal.
If all goes well, then the cake should rise in just the same way as if it had baking powder added or was made with self raising flour.

Plum jam 1604

This is for the ladies of the Christ Church Ladies Group, and anyone else who would like to try a new way for making jam.

In 1603 a Lady called Elinor Fettiplace started a recipe book for own use.  It included recipes for medicines as well as food, many of which were donated by her friends and relatives. In the mid 1970's it was discovered by Hilary Spurling in an attic belonging to her husband's aunt.

After years of tracing the family right back to Elinor, although I think not directly, and cooking the recipes, Hilary Spurling published "Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book."  I have taken this jam recipe from Elinor and have used it so far for black currents, strawberries and plums.

"Take to every pound of plums a pound of sugar, then beat it smal, & put so much water to is as will wet it, then boyle it till it bee sugar againe, then put in the plums, & let them boile very softlie, till they be doone, then when they bee cold put them up, if they begin to grown then set them where fire is in a cupboard; you may doe respis this way & gooseberries, but you mush boyle them verie soft, & not put them up till they bee cold, & likewise may Cherries bee doone as your gooseberries & respis."

After the sugar has melted from the juice flowing out of the warmed plums

In other words,
Take 1lb of plums, wash, dry, chop up and de-stone
Mix 1lb of sugar with 1/4 pint of water
Gentle heat and stir until all the sugar has dissolved
Then turn up the heat and boil rapidly until it is 115 degree Celsius or until a small amount dropped into a glass of water forms a soft ball with very little or no tail.
Take of the heat and stir hard until the sugar crystallises.  If necessary put your saucepan in a large bowl of sink or cold water and keep stirring, that will cause the crystallisation you want.  
Add you plums
Put back onto a very low heat
The still hot sugar will gently warm the plums and cause the juice to flow
As more juice flows, the sugar will dissolve again
Stir gently from time to time (or chip away at the sugar) and gradually you will get a jam like mixture
Keep going with the gentle heat and stirring until a setting point is reached.

To check setting point:
Drop a small amount onto a cold plate and leave for a minute or two. Gently push the jam with your finger.  If it wrinkles on top then it is ready to set.  If it doesn't, boil or in this case warm gently, for another 5 minutes.

Notes:
If it doesn't set quick enough then you can bring it to the boil but that might depend on how much time you have.
Once it is bottled I found that larger jars can take up to several days to set fully while smaller ones should set overnight.  I don't know why.

If it doesn't set in the jar then you can empty them out and re-boil, or store the jam jars in the freezer until you are ready to use them

One day I will try and do a post of ways to you can use up jam that has gone wrong, or rather still tastes fantastic but hasn't reached a perfect setting point.

Pastry case, plum jam, sponge cake nearly ready to go on top.

Reference:
Spurling, Hilary, "Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book," Penguin Books 1987