Pies in the Meal

Lady Margaret of Buckrode

There are 2 types of cookbooks in the medieval period. The cookbook written by a cook for his
apprentice and the cookbook written by a nobleman intended for upper class unmarried women to learn
how to run their households. Both types can have menus but those menus are drastically different.
Cookbooks written by cooks have feast menus whereas the nobleman’s book gives several dinner and
supper menus for both meat and fish days but these menus are for day to day use rather than a
celebratory occasion.
The sources I have used are limited by what is currently translated into English. To date I have
not found a set of menus in a Middle Eastern source. Below is a small variety of menus from different
sources coming from different time periods and countries.

Le Ménagier de Paris, Unknown Author, 1393, France, J. Hinson trans.

Meat Day1 Fish Day2
First Course: First Service:
Grenache wine Strained peas
Toast rounds herring
Veal pies thick soup
Pompano pies salted eels
Black pudding oysters
Sausages a salmi of pike and carp
Second Course: Second Service:
Hare stew Freshwater fish
Strained peas Smoked eels
Salted meat Rich pasties
Smoked eels and fish Portioned fricassee
Third Course: An arbalester
Roasted coneys, partridges, capons, etc Pies
Eel-pout Fritters
Brill Third Service:
Chopped meat soup Roast seafood
Fourth Course: Smothered rice
Water-fowl a la dodine Tarts
Smothered rice Fried bread slices
Eel mold with hot sauce Meat tarts
Fifth Course: Salmon and bream pies
Shad pies A hotpot
Rissoles Fourth Service:
Sugared milk Chopped vegetables
Sugared flans Thin pancakes
Sixth Course: Little sausages
Pears Endive
Sugared almonds Fried loach

1
I. Meat-day Dinner, Thirty-one dishes in Six Platters
2
XXII. Another Fish Dinner
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Medlars Browned vegetables

Shelled nuts Congers and turbot with sugar
Hippocras Lombardy tarts
Wafers Jellied eels

A Propre new booke of Cokery, Unknown Author 1557, England

Meat Day3 Fish Day4
First Course: First Course:
Meat with mustard Butter
Capons, stewed or in white broth Salad with boiled eggs
Venison on browes Eel and lamprey potage
Boiled beef and mutton Red herring
Mutton pies White herring
Goose with sorrel sauce or mustard and vinegar Ling
Swan with chadel sauce Haburdyn with mustard
Pork Chopped salted salmon with mustard and sugar
Roasted beef ribs with pepper and vinegar sauce Salted conger
Veal loin or breast with orengers sauce Shad with vinegar sauce
Lamb or kid Mackerel
Roasted capons with wine sauce Whiting with fish liver and mustard
Venison pasties Plaice with sorrel, wine, mustard or verjuice
Custard Thornback with fish liver and mustard
Leches Fresh cod with green sauce
Second Course: Mullet
Jelly Eels on sops
Peacocks with wine sauce Roache on sops
Conies or rabbits with mustard and sugar Perch
Chicken on sorrel sops Pike in pike sauce
Pigeons Trout on sops
Mallards Tench in jelly or in gressel
Teal with mustard and verjuice sauce Custard
Stork Second Course:
Heron Flounder in pike sauce
Crane with galantine sauce Fresh salmon
Curlew Fresh conger
Bittern Brette
Bustard Turbot with vinegar
Phesant with salt and sliced onions Halibut
Woodcocks with mustard and sugar Bream on sops
Partridges Carp on sops

3
The seruice at dyner
4
Service for fyshe dayes
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Teals with salt and sliced onions Sole or other fried fish
Quail Roasted eels
Larks Roasted lampreys
Venison pasties Roasted porpoise with galantine sauce
Tarts Fresh sturgeon
Gensbread Crayfish
Fritters Crab with vinegar
Shrimp
Baked lampreys
Tarts
Cheese
Figs
Raisins
Apples
Pears
Blanched almonds

2 15th
A Ryal Fest in the Feste at the weddyng of the Erle of Deuynchire.
First course:
Furmenty with venysoun
Vyand Goderygge
Vele Roste
Swan with chawderoun
Pecokke
Crane
Vn leche
Vn Fryid mete
Vn pasty, cooperta
A sotelte: Ceruus
Second course:
Mammenye
Vyand Motlegh
Kede
Conyng
Herons
Chykonys endoryd
Venyson Rosted
I leche
Vn Fryid mete
I paste Crustade
A colde Bakemete
A sotelte: Homo
Third course:
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Gely
Datys in comfyte
Fesaunt
Gullys
Poper
Mawlard de la Ryuer
Peionys
Pertryche
Curlew
Pomez endoryd
I Leche
Payn Puffe
A sotelte: Arbor

A noble book of cookery

The ffest off Nevell Archebisshope of York and Chaunceler of Englond att his stallacon in York
First course:
Braun with mustard
ffurmente with venyson
hert poudred
ffessand in brayn
Swan rost
Ganetz
Gullez
capon de haut grece
heron roste
carpet in venison
pik in ereblad
leshe caute rialle
ffritur boyse
venyson bak
custad planted
chewetts riall with a suttellte
Second course:
Gilly parti riall
viand rasens
venison in brakes
pecock in trapille
cony roste
roo reversed
lardes de venison
pertuches
wodcok
plouer
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Goodwitts
red shankes
yarowe helpes
knottes
Oxene
Creme in purpull
leshe cipirs
ffritur napkyne
tarte in molde
chatowe dyuers riall with a suttel!te
Third course:
Bland desere
dates in comfet
neutes vert
Bittur rofstid
Curlew rofstid
fessand rofstid
Railes rost
Egret rost
Rabettes
quailes
poums vert
G whelpes rost
dotterelles rost
martynets rost
Gret birds
larkes rost
sparowes
ffreche sturgion
lesshe blaunche
ffritur cuspe
quinces bak
rosestis florishid
chamlettes withe a sutteltte

Lunch on the 28th of October, a mixture of lean and fat (fish and meat) with two services from the sideboard and
four from the kitchen. This lunch serving also for dinner, with 8 services, antipasti and post pasti, served in 8
plates with 8 butlers and carvers.
First service from the sideboard
Marzipan biscotti
Neapolitan style biscotti
Fresh pine nut candy
Royal small sugar cakes
Small rolled layered pastries made with butter
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Anchovies with a condiment of oil, vinegar and oregano

Salted beef tongue, cooked in wine, cut in slices
Caviar on slices of bread, served with sour orange juice
Turkey roasted on the sit, served carved with capers and sugar
Sausage cooked in wine cut in slices
Mullet caviar/roe, cut in slices heated on the grill served with oil, vinegar, pepper or juice of lemons or
sour oranges
Cured pork belly, soaked to remove salt, boiled in wine, cut in slices served with sour orange juice and
sugar
Herring cooked on the grill served in a salad
Ham cooked in wine, then shredded, served with sour orange and sugar
Stuffed little hat pasta prepared with dried grapes, sugar and rose vinegar
Head of milk (clotted cream or junket) served with sugar
Pie of goat with 6lb goat per pie served cold
Carp served cold with rose scented vinegar and sugar
Veal’s feet jelly served with capon below
Salted anchovies condimented
Layered pastry tart filled with blancmange
Ling fish condimented
Spanish olives
Many kinds of fresh grapes
First service from the kitchen
Layered pastry pie with veal sweet bread, chopped, one pound per pie
Crostate of milk (milt?) and liver of sturgeon
Buntings roasted on the spit with their crust
Little horse mackerels and flat fish cooked on the grill served with their juices
Quail interspaced with 8lb sausage roasted on the spit served with sour orange slices
Trout pie of six pounds per pie served hot
Stuffed pheasant roasted on the spit served cold
Large gray mullet, cooked on the grill served with raisins and it’s juice
Chunks of veal of four ounces each, stuffed, roasted on the spit, served with their juices
Large anchovies, roasted on the spit with their crust
Rear half of a kid roasted on the spit served with sour orange juice
Pastry “toriglioni” made with butter and sugar
Turkey roasted on the spit served with capers
Large lamprey stewed served with its juice
Rabbit roasted on the spit served with black sauce and pine nuts
Small squid, fried, served with sour orange juice above
Pigeons marinated then fried, served with their sauce above
Large gilt head (dorada) cooked on the grill served with sliced lemons
Fricassee of goat with chopped fried onions
Fritter/omelet of kidney with ham and herbs of 8 eggs each
Ravioli without pasta (dumplings), served with cheese sugar and cinnamon on top
Young turtle doves roasted on the spit with their crust
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Little pigs, that is young small sturgeon, skinned, cut in pieces, roasted on the spit served with raisins
cooked in wine, sugar and cinnamon
Suckling pig, skinned and roasted on the spit
Soppes/soup of whelks shelled
Lark interspaced between each two with chicken liver in caul roasted on the spit
Little rolled straws of egg, filled, with two eggs per roll
Second service from the kitchen
Head of sturgeon and bearded umber fish, boiled, served with borage flowers
Head of veal, boiled, served with parsley on top and a sour orange in its’ mouth
White almond sauce
Pieces of large pike, white cooked, covered with garlic sauce
Kneaded capon boiled, covered with stuffed “little ring” pasta served with cheese, sugar cinnamon
Large bass in a potage with ground almonds, prunes and dried cherries
Wood pigeon in larded broth
Pieces of sturgeon stewed with wine, sugar, butter and whole onions
Salted geese, served with pasta “papardelle”, cooked cheese, sugar and cinnamon
Pastry of lamprey with three pounds per pastry with its juices inside
Wood duck, stewed, served with boiled cardoon and chicken broth
Soppes/soup of lost eggs (scrambled/poached) 10 eggs per plate served with cheese sugar cinnamon
Home raised pigeons stewed with rutabega and pork jowls
Large squid stuffed, in a potage
Veal tongue pie, with its juice inside
Hard boiled eggs, stuffed, served with their sauce
Breast of veal, stuffed, boiled served with parsley
Tart of hazel nuts in the Milan style
Pheasant half roasted on the spit and then boiled with Bolognese cabbage and eight pounds of ‘cervellate’
sausage, served with these things and cheese and cinnamon above
Pieces of tuna, baked, served with their juices
Gratin of four front halves of goat served with lemon juice
Pie of tortoise with three per pie
Slavonic style jelly
Salted beef, boiled served with parsley
Chunks of veal, each 1lb roasted on the spit served with their juice
Garlic sauce for flavor
Pastry of rear half of hare in pieces with half a hare per pastry
Horse mackerel and little bearded umber fish marinated, served with their juice
Blancmange in plates, served with sugar and pomegranate seeds
Pieces of large trout of 5lbs each cooked in wine in the Milan style
Mustard for flavor
Third service from the kitchen
Loin of veal roasted on the spit, served with slices of citron above
Large flat fish fried, served with sour orange above
Peahen roasted on the spit
Spanish olives
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Fresh grapes of many kinds

Pieces of sturgeon roasted on the spit served with their juice
Large hare roasted on the spit covered with black sauce (civet) served with sugared coriander seeds
Carp or trout of two pounds each, cooked like carp, served with rose vinegar above
Large capons stuffed and roasted on the spit, served with chopped sour oranges and sugar above
Mackerel, mullet and “soveri” fried, served with lemon slices
Pastry of loin of dried something (seccaticcia) of 6lbs per pastry
Tench stuffed, cooked on the grill
Sour cherry sauce
Half hard cooked eggs, peeled, floured and fried served with sugar
Meat jelly in quarters
Chunks of veal of one pound each roasted on the spit covered with a sauce made from the marinade
Soppes/soup of trout eggs
Pie of head of goat without bones, stuffed, three per pie
Fish of fountains/springs or little fish of the river fried served with orange juice and salt
Jays roasted on the spit served with pitted olives
Ravioli with pasta boiled, covered with cheese, sugar and cinnamon
A “crab fish called St Bernard the hermit” fried covered with verjuice sauce
Little pies of small birds of 6 per pie
Jelly of pike with flesh of mullet cooked in wine below
Shoulder of mutton, remade, wrapped in caul and then cooked on the grill, served with cut lemons and
sugar above
Sour cherry sauce
Spicy rice dish (ginestrata)
Tortoise fried, served with sliced sour orange above
Salted pork belly, soaked, wrapped in a caul, roasted on the spit, served with lemon slices and sugar
Large sardines fried, served with cut lemons and salt above
Fried eggs covered with sugar and cinnamon, served with sour orange juice
Wood cock and pheasant roasted on the spit served with their juices below
Tart of pears served cold
Fourth and last service from the kitchen
Pie of apples and pears with eight fruit per pie
Tart of appie apples with biscotti
Tart of truffles with ½ lb truffles per tart
Small rolled pastries stuffed with pine nuts and raisins
Pie of quince with 4 quince/pie
Jelly of meat in the form of a half relief (sculpture/carving?)
White marzipan tart
Pie of milk or the best cream large
Sage tart
Little pies of oysters with 4 per pastry
Female crayfish cooked in wine and spices, served hot with vinegar and pepper
Soppes/soup of cockles shucked
A work in puff pastry
 Pies in the Meal
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Roman mussels cooked on the grill 1000

Dancing coins (scallops) cooked on the grill like mussels
Oysters cooked on the grill
Lombard style herb tart
Second and last service from the sideboard
Truffles stewed in oil and sour orange juice and pepper
Raw truffles served with salt and pepper
Quince cooked on the spit served with roesewater and sugar
“Caravalle” pears cooked in the heat of the fire, served with gilded leaves
Pears cooked in wine and sugar, served with candied aniseed
Pomegranate seeds, served with sugar above
Cling stone peaches peeled in white wine
Whole quince cooked in wine, sugar and cinnamon
Cardoon served with salt, sugar and pepper
Roasted sweet chestnuts served with salt, sugar and pepper
Pears and apples of many kinds
Marzolini cheese of two pounds each split
Florentine Raviggioli cheese
Parmegian cheese in slices
Snow of milk served with sugar on
Wafers made like a scroll
Small cakes (ciambelle) of Monaco
Raise the tablecloth, wash hands, change the white napkins
Green fennel stripped from the stalk
Scented toothpicks
Bundles of flowers with the stalks wrapped in silk and silver
Candies and comfits to ones pleasure
Scappi Helewyse de Birkestad trans

As you can see there was no specific dessert course and sweet pies were intermixed with their
savory counter parts.

Throughout the medieval period pies were shaped to resemble their contents, this made the
pies not only more pleasing to the eye but also identifiable at a glance. This can be anything from
reattaching the head, wings and tail of bird to a pie to a cut top crust in the shape of a pie.
Pies were painted in period, it’s unclear if these paints were safe for human consumption. They
were also molded in later period judging by the appearance in some paintings. Later period cookbooks
instruct to use comfits to decorate the outside of pies after they come out of the oven.