A King’s Feast
This is the feast made for King Richard, who visited with The Duke of Lancaster at the Bishop's palace of Durham at London, the 23 day of September, A.D. 1387. The vast quantity is a measure of the combined retinues of the king, the duke and the bishop’s households. It begins with a list of ingredients, and then lists three courses for a very, very long dinner.
First begynnyng for a-chatry [ provisions]
- Xiiij. oxen lying in salte.
- II. oxen ffreyssh.
- Vi xx [six score] hedes of shepe freash.
- Vi xx carcas of shepe fressh.
- Xij. Bores.
- Xiiij. Calvys.
- Cxl. pigges.
- CCC. maribones.
- Of larde and grece, ynogh.
- IIJ. ton of salt veneson.
- IIJ. does of ffressh veneson.
- The pultry.
- L. Swannes.
- CCx. Gees.
- L. capons of hie grece.
- Viii. dussen [dozen] other capons.
- Lx. dd. [dozen] Hennes.
- CC. copull Conyngges.
- IIIJ. Fesauntes.
- V. Herons and Bitores.
- VI kiddes.
- V. disson [dozen] pullayn for Gely.
- Xii. dd. to roste.
- C. dd. pejons.
- Xij. dd. partrych.
- Viij. dd. Rabettes.
- X. dosen Curlewes.
- Xij. dosen Brewes.
- Xij. Cranes.
- Wilde fowle ynogh.
- VI xx galons melke.
- Xij. galons Creme.
- Xi. galons of Cruddes [curds],
- IIj. bushels of Appelles.
- Xj. thousand egges.
- The first course.
- Veneson with Furmenty.
- A potage called viaundbruse.
- Hedes of Bores.
- Grete Flessh.
- Swannes rosted.
- Pigges rosted.
- Crustade lumbard in paste.
- And a Sotelte.
- The seconde course.
- A potage called Gele.
- A potage de Blandesore.
- Pigges rosted.
- Cranes rosted.
- Fesauntes rosted.
- Herons rosted
- Chekens endored.
- Breme.
- Tartes.
- Broke braune.
- Conyngges rosted.
- And a sotelte.
- The thirde course.
- Potage. bruete of almondes.
- Stwde lumbarde.
- Venyson rosted.
- Chekenes rosted.
- Rabettes rosted.
- Partrich rosted.
- Pejons rosted.
- Quailes rosted.
- Larkes rosted.
- Payne puff.
- A Dissh of Gely.
- Longe Frutours.
- And a Sotelte.
—from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, ed. Thomas Austin
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