A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents

For to stew heryng

PERIOD: England, late 15th c. | SOURCE: MS Pepys 1047 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Herring stewed with herbs & currants & served in a mustard ale sauce.


Facsimile of receipt from the original manuscript:
 

Transcription of original receipt:

For to stew heryng

Se thy heryng be well watered and take owte the bone and take the myltys (33.1) and lay them yn A fayre dysch of water and wesche both the heryng and the mylt to gether then take a litell percely so muche tyme a Fewe unyons and mell all to gether as small as ye can make hit and then bruse all your herbes and the mylts together And take poder of pepur a litell suger and rasyns of Curance and a litell myed (33.2) of White brede and put all thes together and stew thy heryng with all When they be stuffed lay them on A dyshe and take ale a gode porcon and put ther to musterd and cast vpon them grete Rasyns and cover them with a dyshe and set them on þe fyre and so serue them furth.

Modern translation:

For to stew herring.

 (33.1) myltys - the spleen, and possibly other related organs. See Austin, p. 137.

 (33.2) myed - crumbed, crumbled. See Austin, p. 137 and Hieatt, Curye on Inglisch, p. 201. It is related to Fr. Mie, crumb. In the receipt To make mortrose of Fyshe Hodgett (Stere Htt Well) mistranslates myad as "loaf;" here he translates myed as "miche" (?).

Modern recipe:

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