Frumenty
Watch the process of making this dish below!
Ingredients (to serve 10):
5 cups of cracked wheat
10 cups of water
6 ⅔ cups of milk (or milk substitute such as almond milk or meat broth)
10 egg yolks
5 teaspoons of salt
Pinch of saffron
Sugar
Cinnamon
Tools:
Large pot (if using traditional method)
Baking pan (if using modern method)
Wet/dry measuring cups
Spoon (for mixing)
Mixing bowls
Instructions/Methods:
Traditional
Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot over a heat source
Once boiling, add 5 cups of cracked wheat.
Bring it once again to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and cover the wheat and water mixture. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the wheat is cooked.
In a separate bowl, mix together the 10 egg yolks and 6 ⅔ cups of milk or milk substitute. (see ingredients list for traditional substitutes)
To the eggs and milk or milk substitute mixture add the cooked wheat and any other remaining ingredients (such as saffron, an ingredient used mostly by the rich during this era).
Serve frumentry hot with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top if one desires.
Modern
Preheat the oven to 350° F
To a large, oven safe pan add the water and cracked wheat.
Cook the wheat and water for 2 hours or until the water has been absorbed.
In a separate bowl, mix together the 10 egg yolks and 6 ⅔ cups of milk or milk substitute. (see ingredients list for traditional substitutes)
To the eggs and milk or milk substitute mixture add the cooked wheat and any other remaining ingredients (such as saffron, an ingredient used mostly by the rich during this era).
Serve frumentry hot with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top if one desires.
This dish was traditionally served with venison or some other meat.
Frumenty was a common dish among both the poor and the rich as it was relatively easy to produce for the time. The main ingredient, wheat, was a common crop for the era, had access to a water source in a town, and most families had livestock such as chickens and cows or knew someone with them. This dish was commonly served with venison as a source of protein. With the spices available mainly to the wealthy, the main reason for these ingredients only being available to the wealthy was that all three had to be imported from somewhere else, which cost more money than what would be feasible on a peasants livelihood. These imported areas would include the saffron from most likely Spain though it could be grown in England, cinnamon from India, and the sugar would most likely be from the Middle East, Sicily, and/or Spain.
During the Elizabethan Era, the food you ate was ultimately decided by your social status. The daily diet of the lower class greatly differed from the daily diet of the upper class. Food at this time was more of a social statement. The wealthy ate much more flavoured food than the ones lower down the scale. The wealthy ate fresh meat and fish, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. The cooked dishes were heavily flavoured with many spices such as caraway, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger and pepper. The people lower down the scale ate a less impressive meal unless they served in a large household. Those people mostly ate preserved food. They kept cows more often so that a large portion of their diets would include dairy products.The rich and the poor both ate a dish called pottage. The luxurious version of pottage was called mortrew and the more commonly used pottage was called frumenty.
It is widely believed that Frumentry is one of, if not the oldest English national dish. It is also believed that Frumentry was served as part of the traditional Celtic Christmas meal for centuries. Frumentry is a dish that can be served with or without meat, although it was most typically served with Venison. That fact that Frumentry could have meat or be meatless lends itself to the possibility that all social classes could have enjoyed Frumentry, which also could be to explain its widespread popularity, hence it becoming a national dish. Consistency and look wise, Frumentry was a thick porridge that was made from wheat.
http://medievalcookery.com/recipes/frumenty.html
Lauren A, MacLean L, Victor T, & Jason S