Inhaltspezifische Aktionen

German culinary texts 1350-1800/Recipes

A pie liver: from the Middle Low German cookery book (15th c.)

19. Wyltu maken eyne gude posteyden, so nym de levere van eyneme kalve edder van eyneme bucke unde vorwelle se up eyner rost ere mate. Snyt se rechte cleyne. Stot se yn eyneme moser rechte kleyne. Nym eyn luttick honnighes unde krude. Nym rosin unde twe eygere. Bring dat darmanghen. Unde bring dat wedder thohope in eyn stucke. Legge dat yn eynen deghel yn reyne vethe unde kere dat vaken umme. Unde lat dat backen. So brynghe dat vp eyn speth. Unde dorchdrop du dat myt ryngheme specke. Bestrowe dat myt honnighe unde myt krude unde lat dat gar braden. Dat heyt eyn posteydenlevere.
(Hans Wiswe, ed.: Ein mittelniederdeutsches Kochbuch des 15. Jahrhunderts. In: Braunschweigisches Jahrbuch, 1956.)

A rough translation:

If you want to make a good pie, take the liver from a calf or from a buck/ram and bring it to the boil on a roast/grill according to the size of the liver (?). Then cut it to small pieces, and pound it quite fine in a mortar. Take a small quantity of honey and spices, in additon take raisins/plums and two eggs, and mix it together with the (prepared) liver. And make it into the form of a single piece (of a liver) again. Put this piece into a pot with pure/clear fat and turn the piece often. Let it bake in the pot. Then put it onto a spit, and let drop lard upon it, that is not too valuable (?). Sprinkle it with honey and with spices and let it roast until it is done. This dish is called "posteydenlevere" [pie liver].