Lahs und Hünre in Teyge

Salmon & Chicken Pastries

I really enjoy the flexibility of this recipe for my first German feast as it gave those people who are willing to eat seafood the opportunity to do so. Those who were not interested or unable to eat seafood had an option to enjoy the chicken pastries.

Source: Daz bůch von gůter spise, 14th century collection of German recipes.

Original Recipe: (transcribe by Hans Hajek)

Diz ist ein gůt spise von eime lahs

Nim einen lahs, schabe im abe die schůpen, spalde in vnd snit in an stuͤcke. hacke peterlin, selbey, Nim gestoͤzzen yngeber, pfeffer, enys, saltz zvͦ mazzen, mache eynen derben teyk noch der groͤzze der stucke vnd wirf daz krut vf die stuͤcke vnd bewirke sie mit dem teyge. kanst du sie gestemphen in ein forme, daz tů. so mahtu machen hechde, foͤrheln, brasmen, vnd backe ieglichez besunder in sime teyge. ist ez aber eins fleischtages, so mahtu machen huͤnre, rephuͤnre, tuben vnd vasande mahtu machen, ab du hast die formen, vnd backe sie in smaltze oder suͤt sie in den formen. nim von den bruͤsten der huͤnre oder ander gůt fleisch, so wirt die kunst deste bezzer vnd versaltzez niht.

Translation: (by Alia Atlas)

This is a good food of a salmon

Take a salmon. Scrape off the scales. Split it and cut it into pieces. Cut parsley (and) sage. Take ground ginger, pepper, anise. Salt to mass. Make a dough (possibly freshly made as opposed to sourdough) also the size of the piece (of salmon). And throw the herb on the piece. And surround it with the dough. Stamp it in a form if you can. Thus you may make pike (and) trout. And bake individually in a dough. However, if it is a meat day, then you may make hens, partridge, pigeon and pheasant. If you have the forms, and bake them in fat or boil in the forms. Take from the breasts of the hens or other good meat. So will the art be the better and do not over salt.

My Interpretation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine herbs and spice. Cut meat into 8 pieces (roughly 4 oz per piece). Section dough, if necessary, into 8 pieces and roll flat. Rub herb and spice mixture evenly onto meat pieces. Wrap pieces of meat in dough and place on baking sheet. Cut vent holes in dough. Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes until pastry is golden brown and meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let pastries rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

• • If you are preparing this recipe with both Salmon and Chicken, take consideration for not cross contaminating the two meats for anyone who might have seafood allergies. You can make the pastries distinguishable from one another by differing how the vent holes are cut (i.e. an X for the Chicken, and 3 slashes for the Salmon).

  • A variation on this recipe could be combining the two meats into a single pastry.

Works Referenced:

Atlas, Alia. "Ein Buch Von Guter Spise." Directory | CS-People by Full Name. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://www.medievalcookery.com/etexts/buch.html#recipe19>.

Adamson, Melitta Weiss. Daz Bůch [i.e. Buoch] Von Gůter [i.e. Guoter] Spise = The Book of Good Food : a Study, Edition and English Translation of the Oldest German Cookbook. Krems: Medium Aevum Quotidianum, 2000. Print.

Hajek, Hans. "Buch Von Guter Speise (um 1350)." JLU-Homepage. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/bvgs.htm.