Subtleties:Medieval Peacocking in Food Form

Lady Margaret of Buckrode

For the purpose of this hand out subtleties have been divided into 2 types: edible and
inedible. Focus will be on edible subtleties. In the medieval and renaissance period a subtletie
was a dish made to look like something it wasn’t, ie sugar plates and marzipan fruits.

The ingredients used to make subtleties were expensive. Sugar a frequent ingredient
had to be imported from the distilleries in the middle east. Spices were imported from all over
the Asian continent and islands. Wheat which would have been grown locally still had to ground
and strained at the mill. In addition to all of that the cook didn’t touch pastry or sugar work those
tasks went to other people in the kitchen to be created.

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:
Gely
Datys in comfyte
Fesaunt
Gullys
Poper
Mawlard de la Ryuer
Peionys
Pertryche
 Subtleties:Medieval Peacocking in Food Form
Lady Margaret of Buckrode

Curlew
Pomez endoryd
I Leche
Payn Puffe
A sotelte: Arbor
2 15th

Recipes
CHASTLETES, XX.IX. IX.
Take and make a foyle of gode past with a roller of a foot brode. & lyngur by cumpas. make iiii
Coffyns of þe self past uppon þe rolleres þe gretnesse of þe smale of þyn Arme. of vi ynche
depnesse. make þe gretust in þe myddell. fasten þe foile in þe mouth upwarde. & fasten þee
oþere foure in euery syde. kerue out keyntlich kyrnels above in þe manere of bataiwyng and
drye hem harde in an Ovene. oþer in þe Sunne. In þe myddel Coffyn do a fars of Pork with gode
Pork & ayrenn rawe wiþ salt. & colour it wiþ safroun and do in anoþer Creme of Almandes. and
helde it in anoþer creme of Cowe mylke with ayrenn. colour it with saundres.
anoþur manur. Fars of Fygur. of raysouns. of Apples. of Peeres. & holde it in broun.
anoþer manere. do fars as to frytours blanched. and colour it with grene. put þis to þe ovene &
bake it wel. & serue it forth with ew ardaunt
- Forme of Cury

Teste de Tourk.
Sheet of dough, good wheat: plant therein, coneys and birds, pitted dates soaked in honey, new
cheese planted therein, cloves, cubebs, sugar therein, then a layer of pistachio stuffing
abundantly; color of stuffing, red, yellow and green. The head should be dressed black in the
manner of the hair of women in a black braid, a face of a man thereon.
- MS Royal 12.C.xii, Daniel Myers trans, 1340

TO MAKE PIE THAT THE BIRDS MAY BE ALIVE IN THEM, AND FLIE OUT
WHEN IT IS CUT UP
Make the coffin of a great Pie or pasty. in the bottome whereof make a hole as big as
your fist, or bigger if you will. let the sides of the coffin be some what higher then
ordinary Pie, which dome. put is full of flower and bake it, and being baked, open the
hole in the bottome and take out the flower [flour]. then having a Pie of the bignesse of
the hole in the bottome of the coffin aforesaid. you shal put it into the coffin, withall put
into the said coffin round about the aforesaid pie as many small live birds as the empty
coffin will hold besides the pie aforesaid. And this is to be done at such time as you send
the Pie to the table, and set before the guests: where uncovering or cutting up the lid of
the great Pie, all the Birds will flie out. which is to the delight and pleasure shew to the
company and because they shall not bee altogether mocked, you shall cut open the small
pie and in this sort tart you may make many others, the like you may do with a Tart
- Giovanni de Roselli, Epulario, Italy, 1549, translated to English 1598