Bunyols

Cheese Fritters

Source: Libre de Sent Sovi, Catalan, 14^th century.

Original Recipe:

Bunyols

Si vols ffer bunyols que sien bons, qui.s ffan de fformatges e d’ous, se ffan axí: Ages pasta ben levada e hous e fformatge rellat, e sia ben espès; e ffé’n redolins axí con un hou. E ages una casola, e met-hi del grex qui-s ffa del porc dols, e gite ‘ls en la casola. E quant seran ben cuyts, posso ‘ls en un tellador ab sucre desús e dejús.

E si per ventura no podíeu aver del grex del porch, ffèts-ho de bon holi. E axí.s deu ffer, matets-hi de bona mel.

Translation: (from The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy)

Bunyols

If you want to produce good bunyols, made with cheese and eggs, do it this way: Take well-risen dough and eggs and grated cheese, and make it very thick, and shape balls as big as an egg. And take a frying pan, and put in it some fresh pork fat, and cook them in the frying pan. And when they are well cooked, put them on a plate on a bed of sugar and more sugar on top.

And if by chance you do not have any pork fat, use good oil. And similarly, if you don’t want to use sugar, use some good honey.

My Interpretation:

Knead bread dough, eggs and cheese together. Form into small balls, about half inch in diameter. Drop into hot oil. Drain on paper towels and then sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Works Referenced:

The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy; Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, & Silvano Serventi, translated to the English by Edward Schneider; The University of Chicago Press, 1998