Um, what is it?

Imagine you are seated at the head table of a grand Medieval or Tudor feast. The king and queen are only a few seats down (for you are nobility, of course). Dish after dish has been served up and all the guests including the king and queen are awaiting the main event. All have been promised a spectacular show.

And lo and behold the main event is presented...

...and you find that you have been served up an animal so exotic, so bizarre, and so absolutely absurd that all you can do is laugh in utter astonishment and delight.

What have you been presented with, what is it?

You have just been served the exotic Cockentryce.

Presenting: The Cockentryce and Coqz Heaumez

Chimera Animals & Other Showmanship Pieces of Medieval and Tudor Feasts

According to Gode Cookery, "A cockentrice was made by combining a pig and a capon into one creature, thus creating a "new" animal that would not only feed hungry folk but amuse and amaze them as well. "Cockentrice" is actually just one among many spellings of the name of this dish; originally the beast was also known as a cokagrys or cotagres, from "cock" (a capon) and "grys" (a pig); a "gryse" was a suckling pig. Other period spellings include koketris, cocagres, cokyntryche, cockyntryce, and cokantrice. Cockentrice were common entries at great dinners, and a cokyntryche is listed among the many feast items at a festival given by John Stafford, Bishop of Bath & Wells, on September 16, 1425" (godecookery). 

Cockentrice's were an excellent example of the exotic and showmanship theatrics that the grand Medieval and Tudor feasts were known to have carried out.  

Heston Blumenthal, known for his theatrics in creating gastro-inventive dishes creates the Cockentrice in the video above.  Although his Cockentrice is extremely elaborate, the spectacle of the beast has the same mischievous fun that would have been found in the best of Medieval and Tudor banquets.  

I can imagine that the guests of Heston's Tudor dinner party are just as delighted as guests of those long ago feasts! Along with the Cockentrice, the mythical and imaginative chimera animal served up at grand banquents, one could also find the odd and amusing Coqz Heaumez or the Helmeted Cock.  

Helmeted Cock?

Yes.  Helmeted Cock.

According to Gode Cookery, "Serving almost as a sort of companion to the Cockentrice is the Coqz Heaumez, or Helmeted Cock, another fantastic combination of pig and fowl, which appears in the Medieval French Cookbook of Guillaume Tirel, known today as Le Viandier de Taillevent," (godecookery 2). 

Accompanying the Cockentrice was the humorous and resplendent Helmeted Cock.  

Yes, your eyes do no decieve you, for that is indeed a fowl riding a pig into battle wearing robes while holding a lance.  

Could you imagine being served up such a delight?  I certainly could not!

The Supersizers Go (a delightfully hilarious show you just have to check out, which is available on Hulu and YouTube) presented a medieval feast complete with the Helmeted Cock.  It was truly a gastronomic delight and I was jealous not to be among the guests watching the spectacular show. At least I can watch the video! 

So, now you are fully versed in a few Franken-animals presented in the fanciful banquets of Medieval and Tudor feasts.  Now, I am off to eat something...fresh & simple...and not meat...like an apple. 

XOXOXO,

TheHistoryGirl

Sources: http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/medieval-mischiefthe-cockentrice_topic960.html

http://www.godecookery.com/helmeted/helmeted.htm

http://www.godecookery.com/cocken/cocken.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockentrice

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/11/perhaps-the-strangest-photo-youll-ever-see-and-how-its-related-to-turduckens/281852/

The First Post: Stuart Era Dinner Rolls

My first post I will dedicate to food because, after all, food connects us.  It is a shared love that we all have and have had throughout the ages and around the world.  My love of history is often translated into food and I share my adventures with my two little boys and my husband, who for the most is a good sport (the kids not so much).  Depending on how you look at it, the unfortunate or fortunate aspect of cooking from historical recipes (especially the REALLY old ones) is that we don't typically have the same cooking techniques or even food sources.  After all, I don't have a spit boy roasting pigeon, pheasant, turkey or chicken over an open fire and I don't often have access to freshly killed venison or peacock! I don't have an open hearth in my kitchen (in fact the fireplace in the living room is gas and isn't currently operating) and I don't have the time (or energy!) to cook over an open flame for every meal.  So, it is with my trusty oven and stove top, KitchenAid mixer and blender, food processor and George Foreman grill, propane grill and other convenient modern tools that I find myself cooking with the adaptions of modern appliances. But, that doesn't mean the connection is lost.  Baking a pie that contains meat and fruit or using the same spices as they did in the medieval times brings us to a very small understanding of our early ancestors, or at the very least can elicit a dialogue about how they ate, why they ate what they did, and exactly what did they eat! I find that when I cook using a historical recipe I am in some way honoring my ancestors or my ancestors country of origin.  And by using my modern appliances, I am cooking in such a way that my children can help and history really can be brought to life for them and for myself.

Now on with the first adapted recipe...

Principe Bread Loaves

Recipe Adapted from The English HusWife by Gervase Markham

Published in 1615 (Isn't the name Gervase marvelous?!) 

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups all purpose flour (or more)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 packet instant rise yeast
• 2 1/2 cups water, warm, (AKA microwave 1 minute)
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1-2 teaspoons oil

Directions: 

Using a KitchenAid mixer and the dough blade: combine 5 cups flour, salt, & yeast. Mix slowly, gradually adding the water.  The dough will be super sticky and wet.  Stop mixer and scrap down sides.  Continue mixing, adding just enough flour in order to remove the sticky dough.  Place dough on a well-floured surface and add remaining flour. Knead in the flour until dough is able to be worked and not overly sticky.  (I found that I had to add a little more than a cup of flour.  I added enough to be able to successfully pick up the dough and place it in a bowl).  Place dough in a well oiled large bowl.  Place plastic wrap over bowl.  Let sit for 3 hours.  

After 3 hours, place dough onto floured work surface. Divide dough (adding flour to dough if needed) into 12 - 16 small pieces. Place cornstarch evenly onto a large baking sheet. Knead and form each little loaf into a round ball and place onto the pan (the cornstarch helps the rolls not to stick to the pan). Let the small loaves rest for about an hour (they will get a little larger).  

After an hour, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Once preheated, in a small glass or ceramic baking dish add 1 - 2 cups of water and place inside the oven on the lowest rack.  On the middle rack, place the rolls. Bake 10 minutes and then turn the pan around and bake another 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Once done, remove from oven and cool for about 5 minutes before digging in (to make these really delicious I added a little melted butter to each roll on top).

Verdict:

The rolls were very tasty but a little time consuming.  Luckily, they yielded many little rolls and we can eat these for a few more dinners.  All in all I think I'd make these again; the ingredients were simple and if I have a day were I can devote to popping in and out of the kitchen from time to time it is worth the effort.  The crust was really crispy and I love a good crispy crust with a soft chewy center!

(A little history note: The commonly known Stuart Era refers to a period in British History between 1603 and 1714.  The House of Stuart ruled the land and this period was ripe with turmoil and conflict, including a civil war! William Shakespeare was a playwright partially in this era having been born around 1564 and died in 1616. I love all things Shakespeare and am even proud to say that Joan Shakespeare is my 12th Great Grand Aunt by marriage... it might be a small tenuous connection to all things Shakespeare but I'm holding onto it for dear life!) 

XOXO,

TheHistoryGirl