Bordermarch Silver Anniversary Feast
on the grounds of the BorderKeep
Anno Domini April 20, 2002
Our thanks to Kaithleen Hamilton for this photograph!
Barony Bordermarch’s Silver Anniversary Feast is prepared for you by our Cooks Guild. Foods presented will be in a variety of textures, tastes, and serving temperatures. Feasters will be served at table. If an announcement is made that more servers are still needed, the kitchen will appreciate a volunteer of one person per ten to periodically take prepared serving vessels to the tables. Please enjoy each other’s company, the ambiance, the food, and (whether you give it or receive it) the service.
Godspeed,
Countess Tessa of the Gardens MP, the Founding Baroness Bordermarch
Cooks Guild Principal
Feasters, please do not immediately light the candles at your feast table until children have had the opportunity to approach the high table in the Bordermarch traditional “Sharing of Light” to catch flame to candles from Their Excellencies’ candle and bring the glow to your table. For Anniversary, this is called “SILVER ILLUMNATION.” An adult may accompany a child to the high table where a foil gauntlet will be given to protect a little hand, and a candle may be lit for the child to carry light to your table. Age appropriate as deemed by the adult.
The following is an actual recipe as found in a manscript: Fifteenth Century. A simple cabbage dish.
The original recipe from Harleian MS 4016, A Boke of Kokery:
(Cabbages) Cabochis. ¶ Take faire Cabochis, pike hem and wassh hem, and parboyle hem; then presse oute the water on a faire borde, choppe hem, and cast hem in a faire potte with goode fressh broth and with Mary-bones, And lette hem boyle; then take faire grate brede, and cast there-to, saferon, salt, and lete boyle ynogh, And then serue hit forth.
Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS.
1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.
*[For your pleasure, further redaction notes in this article are an attempt at period-style wording by the Cooks Guild.]
Historically, rather than teaching a novice cook any preparation measures or basic procedures, many manuscript recipes seemed to only “list” the ingredients. Measurements were seldom recorded. The preparation process was not always explained. Certain basics were assumed as known. To present this evening’s meal, Bordermarch Cooks Guild has used guesswork in measures, taste testers in finding palatable results, and, the good stand-by, “creativity.” The Cooks Guild is presenting what might have been. For weeks, we have been preparing foods over a fire pit, in a smoke pit, and with an electric stove and oven, then keeping it cold in deep freeze. We are warming much of tonight’s feast at Lord Vaclav’s wonderful portable hearth, to whom we give thanks. I wish to acknowledge labors of Ly Krystal of the Wood, Ld Joseph MacCrimmon, Ly Kathileen Hamilton, M’lord George, Ly Maise MacCrimmon, Ld John the Sterling, Ly Quendolyn of the Silent Lake, Ly Vyvian of Sherwood, Ly Genivieve Widow Fingraws, Ld Cornelius, M’lady Christiana Ni Richard, M’lady Nicolette of Echols Isle, M’lord Chris, M’lord Morgan Lucktane the Pirate, M’lord Richard Redscale, Ld Zane Amber-Gate, and especially, Ld Antoine Picard, M’lord Elrique, Their Elegant Excellencies of Bordermarch Armand and Caitrin de Lacy; and my life’s love, His Excellency Count Simonn of Amber Isle, without whom the feast could not have been made and presented.
~ Raspberry Tea is available at the sideboard from a spigot, if you wish.
~ Warm Breads w/ Flavored Honey Butters and Herbal Butters
~ Rich Mediterranean Soup of Vegetable, Herbs, Olives, White grape wine
Into a bowl of cowsmilk buttered, caste sweet honey; into another caste herbs mynced small. Honey, known as a medicinal, could have been used as a sweetener. Dated 1460, a source by John Russell mentions spreading butter on bread. Hugh Platt, dated 1594, records butter and sugar. Although documentation from medieval times is lacking for actual “honey butter,” the sweet spread dates from Anno Sociatus I, and it is a tasty tradition at SCA feasts. Many herbs were also medicinal. One of the earliest Anglo-Saxon herbal manuscripts found is Leech Book of Bald, compiled 900-950, by Bald, a friend of King Alfred of England. Also, Constantine the African, 1020-1087, an Arabic-speaking Christian, at the end of the Dark Ages translated Arabic medicinal records into Latin. It stands to reason that sweet butters and herb butters might have been served. Tonight’s purchased butters are flavored with purchased bee honey, and herbs which are both purchased and fresh from Countess Tessa’s garden.
*[Cast no oynion into the pot from which King Aaron MacGreggor will be served. In a brothe, seep the meete of gourds with slyced roots into which hath been caste oynion in olive oille. Thereto bring orzo to a fayre boyle with white wine; boyle ynough and mess it forth with crumble of cheeze.] This Vegetable Soup is made with herbs (things grown green were called “herbs” rather than called “vegetables”), begun to simmer in olive oil. Onion, zuccini, black olives, spinach, thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaves, red sweet peppers, yellow sweet peppers, and carrot roots, similar to period parsnips which were esteemed at table. Parsnips were filling, nutritious, and today we know, rich in potassium, calcium and Vitamin A. This soup, Her Excellency Caitrin’s choice, is preparred at the site kitchen over a portable fire.
~ Boar’s Head (illusion Pork Pie), Sausage Wheel, Links, sliced Meat of Boar
~ Cabbage Leaves, loose, or rolled around herbed Rice & Pork, under a Mushroom Cream
In a fayre pastry shell bake fflesh boyled, fallen from the bone, of boar. Tonight’s Pork pie is seasoned with salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and apple shavings. Butcher’s Saugsage wheel, seasoned with fennel seed, is reheated by steaming. Links are smoked. Pork loins, smoked. A pre-smoked ham is sliced, cool.
Cast no oynoins into a portion for Ansteorra’s King. From a lrge pott of blanched Caboge leaves, take hem to styuff with rice and herbs and flesh of boar, rollt, securt with a skewer, and serve them forth. Steamed cabbage leaves are stuffed with a Middle Eastern staple, rice, lightly seasoned with parsley, basil, garlic, onions, and ham base. Thought to be brave among hunts, bringing home the boar meant that you speared him rather than he speared you. An old verse proclaims “The Boar’s Head, you understand, is the finest dish in all the land!” When the boar is served at your table tonight, you will have the chance to “spear” the portion you like with a small skewer.
~ Salat of Leafy Greens, Spinache, Citrus and Mission Figs
~ Sweet cider vinegar, oil and citrus Dressing
*[Ino Garden greens and spinache, toss small mynced sweet figgies and fine orange segments. Drip overall of vinegar and oille. The Salad could ease digestion and cleanse the palatte for the next remove.
~ Meat of Boar
~ Meat of Beefe
~ Pasta Florentine
~ Minted Green Beans w/ Almonds in Broth of Fowl
For a day, roast a spitted boar, and let him hang near smoking coals. Cleave hem and serve hem forth. All the day, roast butchered cow till tender meat doth from the bones fall. Cooks Guild smoked the pork loins at 250-300 degrees from early morning to evening, till done. Also the beef brisket was smoked for many hours, then finished cooking by an electric convenience till done. Cooked pork and beef are warmed on site today at the hearth.
Into a great pot of boiling waters cast pasta strips till they be limp. Wring out he water clene. Take hem up to serve forth. Cooks Guild used boxed linguini, strip-sliced spinahe, and white cheese sauce.
Fyrst remember the Ansteorran Queen Britta by a fayre pot of beens with no almonds. Into another pot of brothe, cast green beens, mint & almonds. When they be steamed, serve them forth. Modern Fava beans are a broad bean similar to period European legumes. Green beans, served tonight, were a new world food taken back to Europe by 15th & 16th century Spaniards who noticed the beauty of the flowering green bean plant. Mint and almonds were common in traders’ marketplaces.
~ Cheese Tartlets with Berries
~ Fruit Compote over Sweet Cake of apple and walnut
“Secrete of mi’ancestors,” sayeth M’lord Elrique, of his chilled cheese tartlets.]
From the oven take fresh cakes to portion; overall pour warm compote of fruit and surv it forth.] And finally, you have a chilled cheesecake morsel or a warm sweet cake. We hope, however, your evening is not finished and that you will linger in the feast hall for continued revelry.
At the pleasure and labors of Their Excellencies of Bordermarch and members of the Cooks Guild, a cookery book is being produced as a fundraiser for the BorderKeep site improvement and upkeep. Former visitor Geraldine Duncan, author and European food enthusiast, has sent permission for the reprinting of some of her articles. Famed author and expert Cindy Renfrow of Take A Thousand Eggs or More has already sent us some of her words to include. If you would like to contribute recipes to this cookbook project, or if you would like to contribute directly to the BorderKeep site improvement and upkeep, please contact Baroness Caitrin at armand_caitrin@juno.com or Countess Tessa at tessa@gt.rr.com.
Titles in Bold are in Countess Tessa’s library and may be borrowed.
A COLLECTION OF MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE COOKBOOKS, Third Edition, Compiled by Their Graces Cariadoc of the Bow and Diana Alena, Cambridge, Mass. 1978.Including
Manuscrito Anonimo (13th C. Andalusian);
A Proper Newe Booke of Cookery (16th Cent.);
Apicius, Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome; translated by Joseph Dommers, Vehling; Dover Books; NY; ISBN 0-486-23563-7
Athenaeus. The Deipnosophists, or The Sophists at Dinner. Tr. by Charles Burton Gulick. Wm. Heinemann, Ltd. London. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. New York, 1927. (A set of seven volumes dated circa A.D. 228 contains information on foods of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt.)
The Caerthen Book of Cookery, Caerthen Cooks Guild Society for Creative Anachronism (Denver 1979)
Duncann, Geraldine. The Enthusiast. and A is for CODA-WADA, Mother Goose Enterprises, Lafayete, CA 94549, 1977 (No ISBN or Lib Cong)
English 18th Century Cookery; Royden Publishing Co. Ltd.; Romania; 1985; ISBN 0-946674-25-6
The French Cook, by Francis de La Varenne, 1653, Englished by I.D.G., 1653.
Garden Digest
http://www.gardendigest.com/timegl.htm
Gode Cookery
http://www.godecookery.com/mtrans/mtrans12.htm
Herbs
http://www.mnh.si.edu/garden/history/herbs.html
Hess, Karen ed. A Booke of Sweetmeats, Martha Washington’s Booke of Cookery (17th century) Note: Shows illustrations of the tools in Diderot’s Pictorial Encyclopedia of Trades & Industry, 18th c., Vol. 2, plates 480-483. Dover Publ, ISBN 0-486-27429-2
How To Cook Forsoothly, by Mistress Katrine de Baille du Chat OL, Raymond’s Quiet Press, Albuquerque NM 871091979
Inn of the Three Balkans being a compendium of recipes and kitchen lore by Lord Pietar Beograd, G.P.Stojcevic, Austin, 1980.
McKendry, Maxine. Edited by Arabella Baxer. Seven Hundred Years of English Cooking, Exeter Books, Simon and Schuster, New York.
ISBN 0-671-05973-4
McKibbin, Jean and Frank. Cookbook of Food From Bible Days, Whitaker
House, Springdale, PA 15144, 1971. ISBN 0-88368-319-9
Petits Propos Cullinaires
http://www.kal69.dial.pipex.com/ppc63.htm
Power, Eileen, ed. The Goodman of Paris (LE MÉNAGIER DE PARIS), George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., London, 1928. A partial webbed version of Le Ménagier de Paris, in French, can be found at The Medieval & Renaissance Food Homepage.
Renfrow, Cindy. Take a Thousand Eggs or More, a Collection of 15th Century Recipes_ Volumes I and II; ISBN: 0-962-85980-x
Sarah Jane English Newsletter: Sixth Edition
http://www.sarahjanewineandfood.com/newsletters/6th.htm
The Sausage Making CookBook; Jerry Predika; Stackpole Books; Harrisburg, PA; 1983; ISBN 0-8117-1693-7
Searchable Online Archive of Recipes:
soar.berkley.edu/recipes/vegetarian/recipe311.rec
Viking foods
http://www.vikinganswerlady.org/food.htm
Last modified January 17, 2006