Another Wicked Way-back Wednesday….a 17th century bill of fare for the month of August. Notice – Neither a hot dog nor hamburger to be see; no ice cream or gelato or potato salad or ketchup or Popsicle, but it does start with melons ….. but after that it’s a little more unfamiliar.
A Bill of Fare for August.
Muskmelons.
All cantaloupes are musk melons, but not all musk melons are cantaloupes
1 Scotch collops of Veal.(COLLUPS: slices of meat, such as bacon. Randle Holme defines Scotch or Scots collups as thin, salted slices of mutton or beef, broiled and served with vinegar and butter. (Richard Bradley, 1736) Prospect Books: Glossery (this is the address – it doesn’t want to link for me – https://prospectbooks.co.uk/glossary/c)
2 Boil’d Breast of Mutton.
3 A Fricase of Pigeons.
4 A stewed Calves head.Tête-à-tête de veau.
Credits: L. John Harris zester 20115 Four Goslings.(baby geese)
6 Four Caponets.(baby capons – which are rooster with their boy bits removed)A Second Course.
1 Dotterel twelve, six larded
Dotterals – these could be the six larded…or not
2 Tarts Royal of Fruit.
3 Wheat-ears.An ear of wheat – not the wheat ear he means
Wheatear – yet another tiny, tasty bird
4 A Pye of Heath-Pouts.
5 Marinate Smelts.
6 Gammon of Bacon.
Selsey Cockles.Cockles (French, not necessarily the same as East Sussex)
Robert May
Jan Davidsz de Heen Still-life with Fruit and Ham 1648 – In my minds eye this is Robert May’s August table
