Spynoches Yfryed

Fried Spinach

Source: This recipe taken from Forme of Curye, ab. 1390 A.D. (Page 83v & 84r). The images below are from the original manuscript as digitized by the John Rylands University Library and the 1780 printing edited by Samuel Pegge.

Original Recipe:

Spynoches yfryed

Take spynoches &. perboyle hem in seeþyng water. take hem up & presse out þe water & hewe hem in two. fry hem in oyle clene. do þer to poudor douce. & serue hyt forth.

My Translation:

Fried Spinach

Take spinach & parboil them in boiling water. Take them up and press out the water and cut them in two. Fry them in clean oil and do thereto fine powder and serve it forth.

My Interpretation:

Rinse spinach and pat it dry. In skillet heat Olive Oil over medium low heat. Add spinach and cook until just tender. Sprinkle on powder douce and serve.

Notes on the Recipe:

I prefer to cook the spinach directly in the oil, skipping the parboiling step, in order to retain more flavor from the spinach.

Notes on the Transcription & Translation:

The original text and transcription preserve the shorthand of writing that was common practice in the late 14^th century. I have taken the liberty of spelling each word fully in my transcription for clarity.

References:

Media Information. Digital image. Spynoches Yfryed. The John Rylands University Library, Jan. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://enriqueta.man.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/Man4MedievalVC~4~4~6532~100176:Bursews?sort=Reference_Number%2CImage_Sequence_Number%2CPage%2CImage_Title>.This is a digitized image of page 83v and 84r of the Forme of Cury housed at The John Rylands University Library in Manchester, England. This codex, written on vellum, dates from the late 14^th century.

Pegge, Samuel, ed. Forme of Cury London: Society of Antiquaries, 1780. The Forme of Cury. Greg Lindahl. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/foc/.

Pegge, Samuel. The Forme of Cury. London: J. Nichols, 1780. Google Books. 5 Mar. 2009. Web. 18 June 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=L1JAAAAAYAAJ>.

Pegge, Samuel, ed. The Forme of Cury The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Forme of Cury, by Samuel Pegge. Project Gutenberg, May 2005. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8102/pg8102.html. This is the transcription of Forme of Cury of the Samuel Pegge edition originally published in 1780.