[Karadimos]

Salmagundi is an old recipe that came to be known as a pirate meal.

• "Cut cold roast chicken or other meats into slices. Mix with minced tarragon and an onion. Mix all together with capers, olives, samphire, broombuds, mushrooms, oysters, lemon, orange, raisins, almonds, blue figs, Virginia potatoes, peas and red and white currants. Garnish with sliced oranges and lemons. Cover with oil and vinegar, beaten together." (from The Good Huswives Treasure, Robert May, 1588-1660)
• "A mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, anchovies or pickled herring, and onions, all chopped together and served with lemon juice and oil."
• Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts.

Quote

"Boil two calf's feet; take the feet out when done; reduce the broth to a quart. The feet may be fried and used, first removing the bones. Let the broth become cold in an earthen vessel; scrape off all the grease; wipe the top of the jelly with a coarse towel; put the cake of jelly into a kettle lined with tin or porcelain; season it with two lemons cut up (removing the seed), fine blades of mace, a stick of cinnamon, pepper (white pepper is best), and salt to taste. Beat to a froth the whites of six eggs; stir these to the jelly just as it melts; it must then be left to clarify and not stirred again. When it simmers long enough to look clear at the sides, strain it through a flannel bag before the fire; do not squeeze the bag. Suspend it by running a stick through a loop made by tying the bag; rest each end of the stick upon a chair, and throw a table-cloth over all to keep out the dust. If the jelly does not run through clear the first time, pour it through the jelly-bag again. Set this aside. Prepare the meat and seasoning for the pie. Put into a stew-pan slices of pickled pork, using a piece of pork four inches square; if it is very salt[y] lay it an hour in tepid water. Cut up two young, tender chickens--a terrapin, if it is convenient--two or three young squirrels, half a dozen birds or squabs. Stew them gently, cutting up and adding a few sprigs of parsley. Roll into half a pound of butter two tablespoonfuls of flour; add this to the stew until the meat is nearly done. Line a fire-proof dish, or two fire-proof dishes (this quantity of stew will fill two common-sized or quart dishes;) with good pastry; mix the different kinds of meats; put in Irish potato dumplings; season to taste; pour in the gravy and bake. When done, remove the upper crust when the pie is cold and pack in the jelly, heaping the jelly in the middle. Return the crust and serve cold or hot. The jelly will prevent them become too dry. They are good Christmas pies and will keep several days. Very little gravy should be used, and that rich. Should there be too much, leave the stew-pan open until reduced sufficiently. This kind of pie keeps well if made in deep plates, and by some is preferred to those baked in deep moulds."

I've found some other recipes on the internet as well. They're all different!

• http://www.bigoven.c...ndi-recipe.html
• http://www.celtnet.o...eliz-salmagundi
• http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/salmagundi
• http://www.recipe-co...undi/14771.html
• http://www.cookadvic...4633-recipe.htm
• http://www.allbritis.../salmagundi.php

[jendobyns]

Hi,

Could you please provide the source of the quoted period recipe? Thanks!

Mistress (Jen) Dobyns

Karadimos, on 06 June 2010 - 04:48 PM, said:

Salmagundi is an old recipe that came to be known as a pirate meal.

• "Cut cold roast chicken or other meats into slices. Mix with minced tarragon and an onion. Mix all together with capers, olives, samphire, broombuds, mushrooms, oysters, lemon, orange, raisins, almonds, blue figs, Virginia potatoes, peas and red and white currants. Garnish with sliced oranges and lemons. Cover with oil and vinegar, beaten together." (from The Good Huswives Treasure, Robert May, 1588-1660)
• "A mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, anchovies or pickled herring, and onions, all chopped together and served with lemon juice and oil."
• Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts.

Quote

"Boil two calf's feet; take the feet out when done; reduce the broth to a quart. The feet may be fried and used, first removing the bones. Let the broth become cold in an earthen vessel; scrape off all the grease; wipe the top of the jelly with a coarse towel; put the cake of jelly into a kettle lined with tin or porcelain; season it with two lemons cut up (removing the seed), fine blades of mace, a stick of cinnamon, pepper (white pepper is best), and salt to taste. Beat to a froth the whites of six eggs; stir these to the jelly just as it melts; it must then be left to clarify and not stirred again. When it simmers long enough to look clear at the sides, strain it through a flannel bag before the fire; do not squeeze the bag. Suspend it by running a stick through a loop made by tying the bag; rest each end of the stick upon a chair, and throw a table-cloth over all to keep out the dust. If the jelly does not run through clear the first time, pour it through the jelly-bag again. Set this aside. Prepare the meat and seasoning for the pie. Put into a stew-pan slices of pickled pork, using a piece of pork four inches square; if it is very salt[y] lay it an hour in tepid water. Cut up two young, tender chickens--a terrapin, if it is convenient--two or three young squirrels, half a dozen birds or squabs. Stew them gently, cutting up and adding a few sprigs of parsley. Roll into half a pound of butter two tablespoonfuls of flour; add this to the stew until the meat is nearly done. Line a fire-proof dish, or two fire-proof dishes (this quantity of stew will fill two common-sized or quart dishes;) with good pastry; mix the different kinds of meats; put in Irish potato dumplings; season to taste; pour in the gravy and bake. When done, remove the upper crust when the pie is cold and pack in the jelly, heaping the jelly in the middle. Return the crust and serve cold or hot. The jelly will prevent them become too dry. They are good Christmas pies and will keep several days. Very little gravy should be used, and that rich. Should there be too much, leave the stew-pan open until reduced sufficiently. This kind of pie keeps well if made in deep plates, and by some is preferred to those baked in deep moulds."

I've found some other recipes on the internet as well. They're all different!

• http://www.bigoven.c...ndi-recipe.html
• http://www.celtnet.o...eliz-salmagundi
• http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/salmagundi
• http://www.recipe-co...undi/14771.html
• http://www.cookadvic...4633-recipe.htm
• http://www.allbritis.../salmagundi.php

[Karadimos]

Let's re-read the third bullet: "Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts."

jendobyns, on 08 June 2010 - 11:27 AM, said:

Hi,

Could you please provide the source of the quoted period recipe? Thanks!

Mistress (Jen) Dobyns

Karadimos, on 06 June 2010 - 04:48 PM, said:

Salmagundi is an old recipe that came to be known as a pirate meal.

• "Cut cold roast chicken or other meats into slices. Mix with minced tarragon and an onion. Mix all together with capers, olives, samphire, broombuds, mushrooms, oysters, lemon, orange, raisins, almonds, blue figs, Virginia potatoes, peas and red and white currants. Garnish with sliced oranges and lemons. Cover with oil and vinegar, beaten together." (from The Good Huswives Treasure, Robert May, 1588-1660)
• "A mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, anchovies or pickled herring, and onions, all chopped together and served with lemon juice and oil."
• Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts.

Quote

"Boil two calf's feet; take the feet out when done; reduce the broth to a quart. The feet may be fried and used, first removing the bones. Let the broth become cold in an earthen vessel; scrape off all the grease; wipe the top of the jelly with a coarse towel; put the cake of jelly into a kettle lined with tin or porcelain; season it with two lemons cut up (removing the seed), fine blades of mace, a stick of cinnamon, pepper (white pepper is best), and salt to taste. Beat to a froth the whites of six eggs; stir these to the jelly just as it melts; it must then be left to clarify and not stirred again. When it simmers long enough to look clear at the sides, strain it through a flannel bag before the fire; do not squeeze the bag. Suspend it by running a stick through a loop made by tying the bag; rest each end of the stick upon a chair, and throw a table-cloth over all to keep out the dust. If the jelly does not run through clear the first time, pour it through the jelly-bag again. Set this aside. Prepare the meat and seasoning for the pie. Put into a stew-pan slices of pickled pork, using a piece of pork four inches square; if it is very salt[y] lay it an hour in tepid water. Cut up two young, tender chickens--a terrapin, if it is convenient--two or three young squirrels, half a dozen birds or squabs. Stew them gently, cutting up and adding a few sprigs of parsley. Roll into half a pound of butter two tablespoonfuls of flour; add this to the stew until the meat is nearly done. Line a fire-proof dish, or two fire-proof dishes (this quantity of stew will fill two common-sized or quart dishes;) with good pastry; mix the different kinds of meats; put in Irish potato dumplings; season to taste; pour in the gravy and bake. When done, remove the upper crust when the pie is cold and pack in the jelly, heaping the jelly in the middle. Return the crust and serve cold or hot. The jelly will prevent them become too dry. They are good Christmas pies and will keep several days. Very little gravy should be used, and that rich. Should there be too much, leave the stew-pan open until reduced sufficiently. This kind of pie keeps well if made in deep plates, and by some is preferred to those baked in deep moulds."

I've found some other recipes on the internet as well. They're all different!

• http://www.bigoven.c...ndi-recipe.html
• http://www.celtnet.o...eliz-salmagundi
• http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/salmagundi
• http://www.recipe-co...undi/14771.html
• http://www.cookadvic...4633-recipe.htm
• http://www.allbritis.../salmagundi.php

[jendobyns]

Karadimos, on 17 June 2010 - 08:07 PM, said:

Let's re-read the third bullet: "Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts."


Pardon me for the confusion! The Receipt from 1867 is for a sort of pie, though, and not a salamagundy recept in the earlier sense, judging from period sources so far. How odd that there should be a transition from salad to pie in the methodology, though. One wonders if there's an error somewhere in the printing/editing of the later work.

There will be lots of differences in what you see in ingredients, considering you're looking at receipts from the 17th century through the 19th. The Robert May receipt looks like a sort of salad mixture (I cannot find any reference for that particular title by Robert May other than the online dictionary reference, btw, and will check with my fellow food historians on that). The receipt I have from Nott's Cooks and confectioners Dictionary (1726) is a layered and arranged type of salad, and the title reads "To make a Salomongundy, Salmongundin, or Salgundy.", which also indicates even the name was variable. Interestingly, this is supposed to be served hot for a first course, unlike the cold salads we're used to eating now.

"Take tow or three Roman or Cabbage-Lettuce; and when you have wash'd them clean, swing them pretty dry in a Cloth; then beginning at the open End, cut them cross-ways, as fine as a good big Thread, and lay the Lettuce so cut about an Inch thick in the Bottom of a Dish: When you have thus garnish'd your Dish, take a couple of cold roasted Pullets or Chickens, and cut the Flesh of the Breasts and Wings into Slices about three Inches long, a quarter of an Inch broad, and as thin as a Shilling, lay them upon the Lettuce round the one End of the middle of the Dish, and the other toward the Brim: Then having bon'd and cut half a dozen Anchovies, each into eight Pieces, lay them all round betwixt each Slice of the Flowls; then cut the lean Meat of the Pullets or Chickens Legs into small Dice, and cut a Lemon into small Dice: Then mince the Yolks of four hard Eggs, with three or Four Anchovies, and a little Parsley; and make a round Heap of these in the middle of your Dish, piling it up in the Form of a Sugar-loaf, and garnish it with small Onions as big as the Yolks of Eggs, boiled in a good deal of water, very tender and white; put the largest of the Onions on the middle of the minc'd Meat on the top of the Salomongundy, and lay the rest all round the Brim of the Dish, as thick ans you can lay then; then beat some Sallad-Oil up with Vinegar, Salt, and Pepper, and pour over it all; garnish with Grapes just scalded, or French Beans blanched, or Station-Flowers and serve it up hot for a first Course."

jendobyns, on 08 June 2010 - 11:27 AM, said:

Hi,

Could you please provide the source of the quoted period recipe? Thanks!

Mistress (Jen) Dobyns

Karadimos, on 06 June 2010 - 04:48 PM, said:

Salmagundi is an old recipe that came to be known as a pirate meal.

• "Cut cold roast chicken or other meats into slices. Mix with minced tarragon and an onion. Mix all together with capers, olives, samphire, broombuds, mushrooms, oysters, lemon, orange, raisins, almonds, blue figs, Virginia potatoes, peas and red and white currants. Garnish with sliced oranges and lemons. Cover with oil and vinegar, beaten together." (from The Good Huswives Treasure, Robert May, 1588-1660)
• "A mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, anchovies or pickled herring, and onions, all chopped together and served with lemon juice and oil."
• Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts.

Quote

"Boil two calf's feet; take the feet out when done; reduce the broth to a quart. The feet may be fried and used, first removing the bones. Let the broth become cold in an earthen vessel; scrape off all the grease; wipe the top of the jelly with a coarse towel; put the cake of jelly into a kettle lined with tin or porcelain; season it with two lemons cut up (removing the seed), fine blades of mace, a stick of cinnamon, pepper (white pepper is best), and salt to taste. Beat to a froth the whites of six eggs; stir these to the jelly just as it melts; it must then be left to clarify and not stirred again. When it simmers long enough to look clear at the sides, strain it through a flannel bag before the fire; do not squeeze the bag. Suspend it by running a stick through a loop made by tying the bag; rest each end of the stick upon a chair, and throw a table-cloth over all to keep out the dust. If the jelly does not run through clear the first time, pour it through the jelly-bag again. Set this aside. Prepare the meat and seasoning for the pie. Put into a stew-pan slices of pickled pork, using a piece of pork four inches square; if it is very salt[y] lay it an hour in tepid water. Cut up two young, tender chickens--a terrapin, if it is convenient--two or three young squirrels, half a dozen birds or squabs. Stew them gently, cutting up and adding a few sprigs of parsley. Roll into half a pound of butter two tablespoonfuls of flour; add this to the stew until the meat is nearly done. Line a fire-proof dish, or two fire-proof dishes (this quantity of stew will fill two common-sized or quart dishes;) with good pastry; mix the different kinds of meats; put in Irish potato dumplings; season to taste; pour in the gravy and bake. When done, remove the upper crust when the pie is cold and pack in the jelly, heaping the jelly in the middle. Return the crust and serve cold or hot. The jelly will prevent them become too dry. They are good Christmas pies and will keep several days. Very little gravy should be used, and that rich. Should there be too much, leave the stew-pan open until reduced sufficiently. This kind of pie keeps well if made in deep plates, and by some is preferred to those baked in deep moulds."

I've found some other recipes on the internet as well. They're all different!

• http://www.bigoven.c...ndi-recipe.html
• http://www.celtnet.o...eliz-salmagundi
• http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/salmagundi
• http://www.recipe-co...undi/14771.html
• http://www.cookadvic...4633-recipe.htm
• http://www.allbritis.../salmagundi.php

[jendobyns]

Having re-read this, I still have doubts about the source of the info quoted. I have not been able to find a reference for any work by Robert May called "The Good Huswives Treasure" beyond online dictionary entries which all seem to be the same version of the Wikipedia entry, which is not a reliable source. A similar receipt to the one credited to him under salmagundy in the online dictionary entries does show up in his work entitled " The Accomplisht Cook", the existence of which I can verify. This is available online through Project Gutenberg, and is listed as "To make a grand Sallet of divers Compounds". I am still looking through the May book on Project Gutenberg for specific mention of Salamagundy, but it's a very long piece of reading and I have other responsibilities at the moment. Wonderful stuff, though, including sauces for all sorts of interesting foods. And it's a great illustration of how they would eat everything but the squeak *G*


I suspect there has been some error in the online dictionary entry, whatever it's origin, and I'm still investigating. The interpreter/historian/researcher/educator in me finds misinformation really frustrating. And the internet seems to be one of the worst when it comes to spreading misinformation.


Mistress Dobyns
NAI CIG




For the curious, here's the link for Robert May's "The Accomplisht Cook" on Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/22790

[quote name='Karadimos' date='17 June 2010 - 08:07 PM' timestamp='1276823249' post='386649']
Let's re-read the third bullet: "Salmagundi is also purportedly a meal served on pirate ships. It is a stew of anything the cook had on hand, usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, often arranged in rows on lettuce and served with vinegar and oil, and spiced with anything available. The following is taken from a reprint of "Mrs. Hill's New Cook Book", originally published in 1867 and republished by Applewood Books of Bedford, Massachusetts."

[quote name='jendobyns' date='08 June 2010 - 07:27 AM' timestamp='1276014444' post='386053']
Hi,

Could you please provide the source of the quoted period recipe? Thanks!

Mistress (Jen) Dobyns
[

[Mission]

If you go to Google books, you'll find Hannah Glasse's recipe for Salmagundy from The Art of Cookery, which is much, much closer to period (1747). (The exercise is left to the reader.)

I used it at Pirates in Paradise in 2008.

[Grymm]

Ah the joys of the cut and paste world where one mistake get transmitted and multiplied.....

Bob May has several Sallets that resemble the recipe, there's 'To make a grand sallet of minced capon, veal,roast mutton chicken or nets tongue'(pg92 of my prospect facsimilie) and 4 pages of Grand Sallets that follow on from "To make a grand Sallet of divers Compounds" that the divine Mstrs Dobyns mentioned.
In quite a few of my 18thC cookbooks there's Salamagundi recipes or a variation on that name.
R. Bradley's The Country Housewifes and Lady's Director.... circa 1734 (Echo Library reprints isbn 1847028527)
and 1725s Court Cookery or the Complete English Cook by Robert Smith, before he joined The Cure obviously. (Kessinger Publishing isbn 9781104113148)

And for the veggy pirates out there squirreled away in the Huntingdon is a copy of the first know Enlish language veggy cookbook entitled 'Wisdom's dictates, or, Aphorisms & rules, physical, moral, and divine, for preserving the health of the body, and the peace of the mind ... : to which is added a bill of fare of seventy five noble dishes of excellent food, for exceeding those made of fish or flesh ...' by Thomas Tryon 1st ed sometime in the 1690s. and a small number of his rather basic recipes rock up in Early Vegetarian Recipes by Anne O'Connell (978-1903018583)

[Mission]

Grymm, on 23 June 2010 - 03:39 PM, said:

And for the veggy pirates out there squirreled away in the Huntingdon is a copy of the first know Enlish language veggy cookbook entitled 'Wisdom's dictates, or, Aphorisms & rules, physical, moral, and divine, for preserving the health of the body, and the peace of the mind ... : to which is added a bill of fare of seventy five noble dishes of excellent food, for exceeding those made of fish or flesh ...' by Thomas Tryon 1st ed sometime in the 1690s. and a small number of his rather basic recipes rock up in Early Vegetarian Recipes by Anne O'Connell (978-1903018583)
[/size][/font]

You don't say! I'll have to get a copy of that. For anyone else who's interested, you can find it on Amazon here. I must say I'm surprised. Most of what I've seen in the surgical books and sailor journals refers to meat as the pre-eminent foodstuff. Yet another wee bit of proof that people in 17th/18th c. were quite diverse in their preferences - not unlike today.

[Grymm]

Mission, on 24 June 2010 - 07:21 AM, said:

You don't say! I'll have to get a copy of that. For anyone else who's interested, you can find it on Amazon here. I must say I'm surprised. Most of what I've seen in the surgical books and sailor journals refers to meat as the pre-eminent foodstuff. Yet another wee bit of proof that people in 17th/18th c. were quite diverse in their preferences - not unlike today.

Tryon was a bit of a zealot/nutter and wrote a number of manuals on 'humane living' and the Anne O'Connell book only contains about dozen or so of Tryons recipes most of the recipes in her book are from mid-late 19thC.
Here's one of Y'mans to be going on with....circa 1691.
Eggs, Parsley and Sorrel, mixed or stirred together, and fried in a Pan with Butter and a little Salt, and when done, melt some Butter and Vinager and put them on, but you must not put too great a quantity of Herbs, for then it will render it more heavy and dull in Operation; this is a noble and most delicious Dish and it affords a good nourishment, provided you eat not too much in Quantity

This post has been edited by Grymm: 24 June 2010 - 11:30 AM

[LadyBarbossa]

Verified documentation or not, still, sounds rather delightful to try at least (WITHOUT the anchovies!).
There's many varieties of salmagundi. Many of them tastey.


~Lady B