A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents

To make a Frose

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: MS Harley 5401 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Pork or fish cooked with eggs

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

To make a Frose. Recipe pork & seth it, & when it is half sothen chop it small, & take egges & swyng þam; þan put þat pork with þe egges & fry þam in fayre grece.

And if it be Fyshday. Recipe trutys or barbels or molets with such egges swung & fayr buttyr; fry þam & serof.

- Hieatt, Constance B. "The Middle English Culinary Recipes in MS Harley 5401: An Edition and Commentary." Medium Ævum vol. 65, no. 1 (1996): 54-71.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

To make a Frose. Recipe: pork & boil it, & when it is half boiled chop it small, & take eggs & beat them; then out that pork with the eggs & fry them in fair grease.

And if it be Fishday. Recipe: trout or barbels or mullets with such eggs beaten & fair butter; fry them & serve.

MODERN RECIPE:

  • 1 lb. bacon, ham, or any cut of pork in stewing-sized pieces OR: 1 lb. fresh fish filets, in pieces
  • olive oil
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 2 Tbs. cooking grease or butter
  • salt & pepper
Fry the pork or fish in a little olive oil until just done; remove and drain well. Chop into small pieces, then combine with the beaten eggs. In a large pan, melt the grease or butter (if using fish, only use butter). When hot, add the egg mixture. Season with a little salt & pepper & cook at medium heat. As the egg begins to thicken, break it apart with a fork or metal spatula, or stir with a wooden spoon, the same as you would when scrambling eggs. Continue to cook until the mixture has completely thickened. Serve at once. Serves 3-4.

To "seth" means to boil or stew, but not necessarily in water; the term could also apply to cooking in oil, seen as another liquid with cooking properties.

A barbel was a common fish in the 14th century, a European freshwater cyprinid (Barbus barbus) known for the four catfish-like whiskers, or barbels, on its upper jaw.

Mullets are any of a family (Mugilidae) of valuable & chiefly marine food fishes with elongated & rather stout bodies. The spelling molet is from the 14th century.

Metric, Celsius, & Gas Mark Equivalencies

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To make a Frose © 2000 James L. Matterer

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