Le Viandier de Taillevent - Translation - Firstly

Here follows how one makes the

things mentioned

Firstly.

1. To de-salt all manner of pottages.

To de-salt all manner of pottages which are too salty, without adding or removing anything, take a very white cloth, lay it on top of your pottage, and turn it over often. Withdraw the pot from the fire.

2. To remove the burnt taste of a pottage.

To remove the burnt taste of a scorched pottage, tie a bit of leaven in a small white cloth and throw it into the pot (but do not leave it for very long).

3. Large cuts of boiled meat.

Large cuts of boiled meat (beef, pork or mutton) are cooked in water and salt. The beef is eaten with Green Garlic [Sauce] in summer and White Garlic [Sauce] in winter. The pork and mutton are eaten (if fresh) with good Green Sauce made without wine, and (if salted) with Mustard [Sauce].

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4. Mutton haricot.

Take raw mutton, cut it into small pieces, and fry it lightly in lard with some finely chopped onions. Steep it in beef broth, add some wine, verjuice, mace, hyssop and sage, and boil well together.

5. Larded boiled meat.

Take your meat (understand that it is my meat or my venison), lard it, put it to cook in water or wine, and add only some mace (with some saffron if you wish).

6. Fresh wild red deer and roe deer venison.

Parboil it, lard it all over, add some mace and plenty of wine, cook it well, and eat it with Cameline [Sauce]. Or, put it in a pie, parboiled and larded, and eat it with Cameline [Sauce].

7. Boar venison.

Cook it in wine and water. Eat it (if fresh) with Cameline [Sauce] and Sour Pepper [Sauce], and (if salted) with Mustard [Sauce].

8. Capons or veal with herbs.

Cook them in water, pork fat, parsley, sage, hyssop, costmary, wine, verjuice, saffron and ginger, as you wish.

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