Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 90 Brawn ryall

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2014 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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90. Brawn ryall
Take the soundes of stokfisch dry & lay hem in watyr iij days & every day change the watyr than take hem up & lay hem on a bord & scharpe hem clene withe the egge of a knyf wesch hem & sethe hem in fayre watyr then take hem up & sethe hem in broth of fresch fysch as of conger til they be tendyr or als in the same watyr and put ther to elys to amend the broth then take blaunch almondys grynd hem with the same broth hote & make up the soundes & grynd hem wyth the same broth & yf thu wilt thu may take som of the elys ther to & temper hem up with the broth hote draw hit as hote as thu may suffyr thy hond ther yn thu mau make hit in al maner as thu makyste brawn of flesch. And yf thu wilt seson hit with the white of eyron breke hem at the grete ende & do out al that ys in the eye wesch the shell drye hem & sett hem on the salt upryght & put ther yn som of the white braune take som of the same braun colourd with safron & medlyd with poudres put ther yn pepenys of the gretnys of a neye yolke & fil hit with [f.66v] the braun that hit stond full when hit ys cold peyl of the shyll set hit in salt as eggez or in crispis and pych hem with clovys a bovyn iiij or v & fill up with blaunch poudyr & serve hem forthe in the stede of egges in he same maner thu may do with brawn in flesch tyme or thu may yf hit somdell of poudyr of gynger & chaunge the colour as thu dedyst braun in flesch tyme.

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This recipe, a sort of mock eggs for serving in lent, is a clear match for recipe 33 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To make braun ryall in Lent tak sownds of stok fishe dry and do them in water iij daies and chaunge the watter euerie daie tak theme up and lay them upon a bord and scrape them clene with the bak of your knyf and weshe them and sethe them in water then tak them up and sethe them in freshe fishe brothe and put to eles for to amend the brose then tak blanched almondes grond and draw them with the sam brothe bete and ye wille ye may mak ther of almaner of braun as ye did of fleshe also tak eggs, and breke a hole in the gret ende and put out the mete and washe them and dry them and set them in salt upryght and luk it be sessoned then put in som of the whit braun and som of the same braun cold and colour it with saffron and put it in pepyns as gret as an egge and fill them up / and when they be cold pull of the shelle and set them in salt and pricke it with clowes iiij or viij aboue and fill up the crown with blanche pouder and serue it furthe insted of eggs / and in the sam manner do with pouder of guinger and chaunge the colour and cutt it in gret peeces and serue it furthe as ye do braun.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

There is another version in Ancient Cookery (MS. Arundel 334) that is more descriptively titled "jellied eggs".

Eyren Gelide. Take mylk of lib of almondes drawen up thik, and set hit over the fire, and put therto sugre, and when hit is boyled, set' hit on fide ; and then take foundes of stokfysshe, and of codlygne, and one gobet of thornbag, and fethe hom altogedur; and .when hit is fothern, thricche oute the water, and bray hit, and in the brayinge alay hit with the fame mylk, and cast therto clowes; and when hit is brayed, draw hit thik thurgh a straynour, and hete hit over the fire. And take eyren avoided al oute that is therin, and save the zolkes als hole as thow may (as whole as you can), and washe hom clene; and then put in the stuff als hote in the fhelles, and take clowes, and gilde the heddes, and plant hom aboven there hit is voyde, and set hom upright; and when the stuff is colde, pille away the shelles, and take leches lumbard cut on leches, and lay hit in chargeburs, and strawe above pouder of ginger, and sugre, medeled togeder; . then set the eyren betwene, and serve hit forthe.  [Arundel 334 (England, 1425)]