THE MEDIEVAL MENU

[Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler]

Medieval Feasts The menu for a medieval feast was extensive. There were three courses, often called "removes" and each course included several dishes. Each new dish was announced by a trumpet fanfare.

For the poor, a dark bread of rye, barley, or maslin (sometimes with pea or bean flour mixed in) broth, maybe cheese and a bowl of curds were typical meals. Servants in households were usually better fed, with beef or fowl for meats, better breads, pudding, salt herring, cheese, dried cod and ale (which was probably made on the estate).
The middle class merchant and minor nobility would have had a variety of courses. Each course would have had several different dishes brought out at the same time and then the people would have chosen what to eat. The courses would not have been divided up into categories like we do today.
Here is an example from a late 14th century Parisian menu (Menagier de Paris):
FIRST COURSE
Miniature pastries filled either with cod liver or beef marrow
A cameline meat "brewet" (pieces of meat in a thin cinnamon sauce)
Beef marrow fritters
Eels in a thick spicy puree
Loach in a cold green sauce flavored with spices and sage
Large cuts of roast or boiled meat
Saltwater fish
SECOND COURSE
"The best roast that may be had"
Freshwater fish
Broth with bacon
A meat tile (pieces of chicken or veal, simmered, sautéed, served in a spiced sauce of pounded crayfish tails, almonds and toasted bread and garnished with whole crayfish tails)
Capon pasties and crisps
Bream and eel pasties
Blang Mang
THIRD COURSE
Frumenty
Venison
Lampreys with hot sauce
Fritters
Roast bream and darioles
Sturgeon
Jellies
Manor houses from the country would add game birds. After the meal would come the sweets and confections, then maybe some spiced wine or even whole spices, which were thought to aid in digestion.
The rich aristocracy would not necessarily have had different foods from the middle class, but more of it overall. And, there were more curious things on the wealthy table, such as figures molded from jelly or pastry, such as lions or crowns or birds.

Medieval Menu
First Remove
Mustard Soup
Second Remove
Cheese, Egg and Onion Pie
Mushrooms and Leeks
A Sop of Onions
Meat Turnovers
Third Remove
Saumon Rosted
Sweets and Subtleties
Simnel Cake (Easter Fruitcake)
Fruyte Fritours (Fruit Friters)
Caraway Seed Shortbread
Chardwardon (Spiced Pear Sauce)
Swithin Cream
Cranberry Orange Scones
Beverages and More
Canel Cucumber
Missionary Punch
Simnel Cake (Easter Fruitcake)
(Also known as an Almond Teacake)
by Marguerite Johnson
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups butter
6 eggs
4-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ pound raisins
¾ cup mixed candied fruits
1 teaspoon vanilla
Almond Topping and Filling:
½ pound almond paste
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 egg whites
Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour and salt to batter. Stir in raisins, fruits, vanilla and mix. Spread half the batter in a 9"x 9"x 2" pan, lined with waxed paper or foil. Blend almond paste, sugar and egg whites together and spread half over the cake batter. Cover with the rest of the batter and bake at 275•F for 2-1/2 hours until lightly browned. Remove from oven, spread the rest of the almond paste over the batter and bake a further 30 minutes until lightly browned. Slice 3/8 inch thick and cut into 2 inch pieces. Yields about 100 pieces.
Note: The name, Simnel, unfortunately has nothing to do with pretender Lambert Simnel. It came from Siminelllus, which was a Roman festive bread eaten during the Spring fertility rites. Marzipan balls were placed on top of the cake to represent the apostles, minus Judas Escariot. This cake was originally used for the 4th Sunday in Lent, Mothering Sunday, when servant girls were given one day off to visit their mothers, and take them a cake. Marzipan balls and the top layer of almond paste can be glued/stuck to the top of the cake quite nicely by brushing the top of the cake with apricot jam.
Mustard Soup
(Adapted from E.B. Aresty The Delectable Past)
Melt 2 tbsp. butter
Stir in 2 tbsp. flour, and blend smoothly
Add 2-1/2 cups thoroughly skimmed hot chicken stock (or chicken broth powder). Whisk until smooth (this will take some time!)
Add 1/2 tsp. salt, and a dash of white pepper
1/2 tsp. finely minced onion
Cool mixture slightly and add 3 tbsp. prepared dijon mustard just before serving. Can be served hot or cold.
Cheese, Egg, and Onion Pie
(Adapted from C. Hieatt and S. Butler's Pleyn Delyt)
6 eggs
4 oz. mild white cheese, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 large onions, sliced or chopped as you prefer
2 tbsp. butter spices to taste (nutmeg, etc.)
Single crust pie shell
Microwave (this isn't the medieval part!) onions and butter for 5 minutes on high, or parboil onion and mix with butter. Place half the cheese on the bottom of the pie shell, then a layer of the onions, and top with the remainder of the cheese. Mix eggs, breadcrumbs and spices together, and pour over top into shell. Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes.
Canel Cucumber
2 large cucumbers
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
Cut washed cucumbers into 1/4" circles. Mix cinnamon with sugar, and place mixture in a salt shaker. Shake cinnamon sugar onto each cucumber round. Serve.
Fruyte Fritours (Fruit Fritters)
4 large firm pears
4 large apples
2 eggs
2 tbsp. ale
1-1/2 tbsp. oil
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. butter
4 tbsp. brown sugar

Pare fruit, core and cut into moon-shaped wedges that are firm, not flimsy. Beat eggs with the salt; add eggs and ale to the flour and stir until blended (should be the consistency of thick pancake batter). Coat each fruit slice with batter. Heat butter and oil in a skillet, and saute fruit until golden brown. Drain on a rack. While still warm, sprinkle each fritour with brown sugar and serve.
Caraway Seed Shortbread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. powdered cardamon
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
3/4 tsp. allspice
1-1/4 tbsp. caraway seeds
1 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine all dry ingredients except flour, separate into two portions and set one aside. On a kneading surface, mix one of the spice mixtures into the flour. Squeeze the butter in your hands, and gradually add the spiced flour, working it into the butter on the board, mixing well. Press the batter into an 8" square shallow baking pan. With a sharp knife, mark off the batter shallowly into "fingers" about 2" long by 1" wide. Sprinkle the reserved spice mixture over top, and bake about 1 hour until firm and yellow, at 350F. Cool in the pan, then break shortbread into fingers and serve. Tastes great when several days old, and keeps well in an airtight container.
Chardwardon (Spiced Pear Sauce)
1 lemon, room temperature
8 firm, ripe pears
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. ginger
1 cup water
1/8 tsp. salt
Squeeze lemon juice into a shallow bowl. Quarter the pears and remove skin and core. Put pears in juice to cover all surfaces. Boil water with salt. Drain the pears, and discard the lemon juice. Add pears to boiling water; stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Simmer on low heat until pears are soft (about 12-15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cool. Excellent alone, or with hard cheese and dark bread. Wonderful if topped with Swithin Cream (see below).
Swithin Cream
(To eat with apple wedges, on Chardwardon, or on dark bread)
2 large lemons
10 yellow dandelion flowers or golden squash blossoms
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar

Finely grind lemon rind and set aside. Remove dandelion petals, and cut them (or squash blossoms) into tiny pieces. Gently mix with lemon rind. Whip cream with rotary beater, adding salt and sugar until thick peaks form. Carefully mix petals into cream.
Mushrooms and Leeks
(Eleanor MacKinnon)
8 small leeks, topped and tailed and thoroughly washed
3 tbsp. butter
1-3/4 lbs. mushrooms, quartered
8 oz. vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
pinch of saffron
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger root, chopped small
2 tbsp. butter mashed with 2 tbsp. flour
salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the leeks and fry them in butter until they collapse. Add mushrooms and mix thoroughly, Add stock, sugar, saffron and ginger and simmer (covered) until vegetables are cooked. Add butter and flour in little pieces to thicken juices (keep liquid under boiling). Stir constantly. Season to taste and serve.
A Sop of Onions
(R.A. Beebe Sallets, Humbles & Shrewsbury Cakes)
1/2 cup butter
4 large onions, sliced into rings
salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Melt the butter in a deep frying pan and add onions. Saute over low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions soften. Add salt and pepper to taste, sour cream and nutmeg. Heat thoroughly, but do not boil, or the cream will curdle. Serve as is, or add broth and serve as a soup. Serves 4.
Missionary Punch
1- 6 oz can frozen orange juice, partially thawed
3 cans of water
4 cups apple cider
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
Orange slices
In a slow cooker, combine orange juice, water, cider, nutmeg and ginger. Tie cinnamon and cloves in a small cheesecloth bag and add to cooker. Cover and heat on LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cheesecloth bag. Garnish with orange slices. Keep hot and serve punch from slow cooker.
Cranberry Orange Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour GLAZE (optional)
10 teaspoons sugar, divided 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel 1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda ORANGE BUTTER (optional)
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup dried cranberries 2 to 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/4 cup orange juice or rose water
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
In a bowl, combine flour, 7 teaspoons sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. In a small bowl, combine cranberries, orange juice, cream and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
On a floured surface, gently knead 6 - 8 times. Pat dough into an 8 inch circle. Cut into 10 wedges. Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400° for 12 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine glaze ingredients if desired; drizzle over scones. Combine orange butter ingredients; serve with warm scones. Yield: 10 scones.


Meat Turnovers
Filling: Pastry:
Prepare and brown filling 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 pound ground beef 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound ground pork 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 garlic clove, minced 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to 1/16 inch thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut more circles.
Mound a heaping teaspoon of filling on half of each circle. Moisten edges with water; fold pastry over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Prick tops with a fork. Bake at 375° for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

Saumon Rosted
Roast Salmon in Onion Wine Sauce
6 Salmon steaks for broiling
1-1/2 cups red wine
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
4 small onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vinegar
Garnish: 6 foils of parsley wet in vinegar

Broil salmon steaks, (roast on a grid iron) about 5 minutes for each side.
Slowly simmer wine with spices, onions and vinegar, about 12 minutes.
Pour the hot syrup over the salmon and serve. Wet parsley foils in vinegar to garnish each salmon steak.

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