A Lenten Dish: Furmity, Frumenty ', or Fromenty (old
recipe and excellent). — 3 pints of prepared wheat boiled
in 6 quarts of milk, together with i Ib. of raisins and i Ib.
of currants, until the fruit is a little tender ; meanwhile beat
up 5 eggs and make a stiff batter of flour and milk ; pour
this batter gradually into the saucepan and stir till it begins
to thicken, then take off the fire and add a pinch of salt,
half a nutmeg (grated), and sweeten to taste; pour into
dishes, and eat cold. N.B. — Do not stone the raisins.
To prepare the wheat, take a pint of wheat, thoroughly
cleaned, soak it all night in water, then put it in a large
basin filled with cold water; tie a cloth over; put it in a
pot of boiling water up to the rim of the basin, and let it
boil many hours, till the wheat swells and forms a white
pudding in the basin.
Oatmeal Flummery (very old recipe). — Put oatmeal (as
much as you want) into a broad deep pan, cover it with
water, stir it together and let it stand twelve hours ; then
pour off that water clear, and put on a good deal of fresh ;
shift it again in twelve hours, and so on in twelve more.
Then pour off that water clear, and strain the oatmeal
through a coarse hair sieve, pour it into a saucepan, keeping
it stirring all the time with a stick till it boils and becomes
very thick. Then pour it into dishes. When cold, turn it
into plates, and eat it with what you please, either wine
and sugar, or milk. It eats very well with cyder and sugar.
You may observe to put a great deal of water to the oat-
meal, and when you pour off the last water, put on just
RECIPES, OLD AND NEW 259
enough fresh to strain the oatmeal well. Some let it stand
forty-eight hours, some three days, shifting the water every
twelve hours; but that is as you like it for sweetness or
tartness. Groats once cut do better than oatmeal. Mind
to stir it together when you put in fresh water.
Plumb Pottage (old recipe). — Take a leg of beef and a
neck of mutton; put it into a gallon of water; let it boyle
till all the goodness is out. Then take it off the fire and
strain it, and when 'tis cold take off all the fat. The next
day grate the crumb of a sixpenny loaf and let it steep in a
little of your liquor. Set your liquor on the fire and put in
2 nutmegs cut into quarters, with a pretty deal of whole
mace, 3 or 4 cloves, and a little cinnamon. Put in 2 Ibs. of
currants picked and washed, 2 Ibs. of raisins of the sun, 2 Ibs.
of prunes, and J Ib. of dates stoned. Put in the bread with
your fruit, and when they are well boy Id together take it off the
fire. Sweeten to your taste and put in it a bottle of claret, a
pint of sack or vinegar. Garnish with grated bread crumbs
browned, and a heap of plumped raisins here and there.*
Quaking Pudding (old recipe). — Put on your fire i pint
of milk and i pint of cream, mix i spoonfull of milk to
3 spoonfulls of flower, 6 eggs yolk and white, a little
grated nutmeg, a little mace with some suet ; beat it well
together, pour your boyling cream and milk into it; stir
it together, then butter your dish, fill him to the brim and
tye a cloth close over him, boyle him an hour and quarter,
then take him out, and pour over him melted butter and
sack, strew sugar over him, serve him to the table.
Our viands
1893Page 129
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
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A Lenten Dish: Furmity, Frumenty ', or Fromenty (old
recipe and excellent). — 3 pints of prepared wheat boiled
in 6 quarts of milk, together with i Ib. of raisins and i Ib.
of currants, until the fruit is a little tender ; meanwhile beat
up 5 eggs and make a stiff batter of flour and milk ; pour
this batter gradually into the saucepan and stir till it begins
to thicken, then take off the fire and add a pinch of salt,
half a nutmeg (grated), and sweeten to taste; pour into
dishes, and eat cold. N.B. — Do not stone the raisins.
To prepare the wheat, take a pint of wheat, thoroughly
cleaned, soak it all night in water, then put it in a large
basin filled with cold water; tie a cloth over; put it in a
pot of boiling water up to the rim of the basin, and let it
boil many hours, till the wheat swells and forms a white
pudding in the basin.
Oatmeal Flummery (very old recipe). — Put oatmeal (as
much as you want) into a broad deep pan, cover it with
water, stir it together and let it stand twelve hours ; then
pour off that water clear, and put on a good deal of fresh ;
shift it again in twelve hours, and so on in twelve more.
Then pour off that water clear, and strain the oatmeal
through a coarse hair sieve, pour it into a saucepan, keeping
it stirring all the time with a stick till it boils and becomes
very thick. Then pour it into dishes. When cold, turn it
into plates, and eat it with what you please, either wine
and sugar, or milk. It eats very well with cyder and sugar.
You may observe to put a great deal of water to the oat-
meal, and when you pour off the last water, put on just
RECIPES, OLD AND NEW 259
enough fresh to strain the oatmeal well. Some let it stand
forty-eight hours, some three days, shifting the water every
twelve hours; but that is as you like it for sweetness or
tartness. Groats once cut do better than oatmeal. Mind
to stir it together when you put in fresh water.
Plumb Pottage (old recipe). — Take a leg of beef and a
neck of mutton; put it into a gallon of water; let it boyle
till all the goodness is out. Then take it off the fire and
strain it, and when 'tis cold take off all the fat. The next
day grate the crumb of a sixpenny loaf and let it steep in a
little of your liquor. Set your liquor on the fire and put in
2 nutmegs cut into quarters, with a pretty deal of whole
mace, 3 or 4 cloves, and a little cinnamon. Put in 2 Ibs. of
currants picked and washed, 2 Ibs. of raisins of the sun, 2 Ibs.
of prunes, and J Ib. of dates stoned. Put in the bread with
your fruit, and when they are well boy Id together take it off the
fire. Sweeten to your taste and put in it a bottle of claret, a
pint of sack or vinegar. Garnish with grated bread crumbs
browned, and a heap of plumped raisins here and there.*
Quaking Pudding (old recipe). — Put on your fire i pint
of milk and i pint of cream, mix i spoonfull of milk to
3 spoonfulls of flower, 6 eggs yolk and white, a little
grated nutmeg, a little mace with some suet ; beat it well
together, pour your boyling cream and milk into it; stir
it together, then butter your dish, fill him to the brim and
tye a cloth close over him, boyle him an hour and quarter,
then take him out, and pour over him melted butter and
sack, strew sugar over him, serve him to the table.