Ancient Recipes

[Sluggie]

There was an article in the Independent today about ancient recipes. Most of them were for vile things like roasted hedgehogs and haggis but there were a few vegan or veganisable ones that looked interesting:

Pottage

Prepare some stock. Use about as much stock as the quantity of pottage you wish to end up with. In this stock cook as many different kinds of vegetables and herbs as you like. (Tomatoes and potatoes would not have been used.)

Suggestion of ingredients:
Onions of all varieties
Leeks
Cabbage of any kind (sorrel, cabbage)
Green beans or dried beans
Carrots
Turnips
Celery
Thyme, sage, parsley, marjoram, rosemary

Method:
When all the vegetables are cooked, add some porridge oats.
If you want your pottage to be runny, like soup, add a couple of tablespoons of oats.
If you want it to be extra thick and filling add a large cupful.
Continue to simmer until the porridge is cooked.
Adjust the seasoning and serve with bread.

www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm

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Barley Bread with Beer

Ingredients:
500g barley flour
500g stone-ground wheat flour
1 tsp salt
250g margerine
Beer to mix

Method:
Mix the flours and salt together and rub in the margerine.
Add enough beer to make a soft dough and shape into small cakes.
Cook on a hot stone (or griddle) until firm.
This is a very light bread because of the addition of the beer.

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Nettle Pudding (dumplings)

Ingredients:
1 bunch of sorrel
1 bunch of watercress
1 bunch of dandelion leaves
2 bunches of young nettle leaves
Some chives
1 cup of barley flour
1 tsp salt

Method:
Chop the herbs and mix in the barley flour and salt.
Add enough water to bind and place in the centre of a linen or muslin cloth.
Tie the cloth and add to a pot of simmering stock. leave for an hour or so.

Originally this would have been boiled with meat so would have absorbed some of the juices. It might work well if you were to put something like yeast extract or miso into the stock for extra flavour.

This dish is thought to date back to 6,000BC. It is described in Prehistoric Cooking by Jacqui Wood (Tempus, 2002)

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Urchins (Urchin is the medieval name for hedgehogs)

Ingredients:
1 packet sosmix*
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
some blanched slivered almonds
a few currants

Method:
Make the sosmix according to the packet instructions and mix with the spices. Knead well and shape into balls about the size and shape of a large hen's egg.
Spike each ball with enough slivered almonds to make them look like a hedgehog and press 2 currants into each ball for eyes.
Bake them in a medium oven for about 25-30 minutes until they are a nice shade of brown.

*They didn't have sosmix in the middle ages. I made that bit up.

http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/recipes.htm

[harpy]

Thanks for that, sluggie.

The presenters were trying the nettle pudding on the R4 "Today" programme today and didn't sound all that keen -I think they thought it would benefit from more seasoning.

They seemed interested in trying hedgehog but I take it that was a wind-up

[Sluggie]

No, there really was a recipe for roast hedgehog, but I didn't think anyone would be interested in that here.

(They did point out in the article that hedgehogs are now an endangered/protected species).

[cedarblue]

interesting, thanks!

[harpy]

Yeah, I mean their interest in trying it was a wind-up - they had already mentioned that they were protected (so I didn't bother to write and complain - anyway I bet hundreds have )

[twinkle]

Does anyone remember Hedgehog crisps? They had a hedgehog flavour (which was suitable for vegans).

[harpy]

Yes, I remember those! Surprised they disappeared really, they seemed to be quite popular.