Book of Days Tales

On this date in 1666 a fire broke out in the London bakery of Thomas Farriner, located in Pudding Lane, and burned for 3 days, destroying most of the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, and also extending past the wall to the west.  Subsequently Sir Christopher Wren designed replacement buildings, such as St Paul’s cathedral, and over 50 smaller churches, creating a great deal of the feel of London to this day.

Superficially, the details of the fire suggest a recipe, but deeper inspection clouds that idea somewhat.  Farriner was contracted to the government to produce ship’s biscuits, made of a dough of flour and water, baked, and then left to dry until rock hard. Yum.  Then there is the “pudding” of Pudding Lane.  Well . . . “pudding” in 17^th century London English meant offal, and Pudding Lane was the narrow passageway that Eastcheap butchers used to transport their offal down to barges at docks on the Thames to be carried away.  Here are two recipes for tripe from The Closet Of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened of 1669, that is, almost contemporary with the fire.

This first recipe is close to Christmas mince pies in some ways although there is no mention of pastry and modern pies do not contain meat (usually). 

TO MAKE MINCED PYES

Take two Neats-tongues, and boil them. Shred them with Beef-suet, and put in Cloves and Mace, beaten very small, with Raisins, Currants and Sugar; you must mingle them before you put in your Suet. Fat double tripes boiled tender, then minced, make very good Pyes.

The second recipe is for a kind of sausage which in England is now called white pudding.  The basic process involves creating a filling, stuffing it into pig’s intestines, and then boiling the product in milk.

TO MAKE AN EXCELLENT PUDDING

Take of the Tripes of Veal the whitest and finest you can find; wash them well, and let them lie in fair Fountain or River water, till they do not smell like Tripes. This done, cut them so small as is necessary to pass through a Funnel. Take also one or two pounds of Pork, that hath not been salted, and cut it as small as the Tripes, and mingle them altogether; which season with Salt, White-pepper, Anis-seeds beaten and Coriander-seeds; Then make a Liaison with a little Milk and yolks of Eggs; and after all is well mingled and thickned, as it ought to be, you must fill with it the greatest guts of a Hog, that may be had, with a Funnel of White iron, having first tyed the end of the gut below. Do not fill it too full, for fear they should break in the boiling, but leave room enough for the flesh to swell. When you are going to boil them, put them into a Kettle with as much Milk as will cover and boil them, being boiled, let them lie in the liquor till they are almost cold, then take them out and lay them in a basket upon a clean linnen cloth to cool. If they are well seasoned, they will keep twelve or fifteen days; provided you keep them in a good place, not moist, nor of any bad smell. You must still turn them and remove them from one place to another.