In another portion of the innnortal romance of Miguel de
Cervantes y Saavedra there is a description of the marriage
feast of " Camacho the Rich." The first thing Avhich pre-
sented itself to Sancho's sight Avas a Avhole bullock spitted
upon a large elm. In six huge pots around, entire sheep
Avere SAvalloAved up, and floated like so many pigeons. Hares
ready flayed and foAvls ready plucked hung upon the branches;
infinite Avere the Avild fowl and venison hanging about.
Sancho counted three skins, each holding about tAventy-
four quarts, full of generous Avines ; hillocks, too, he saAv
of the Avhitest bread, and cheeses Avere piled up in the
manner of bricks. Naturall}', the feast being a Spanish
one, there Avere " two cauldrons of oil, larger than dyers' vats,"
Avhich stood ready for frying purposes. There is a touch of
Rabelais in the Avhole chapter of the Nuptials of Camacho ;
and Cervantes has more than once been accused of inditing
in this description of a Avedding feast a sly satire on the pro-
* See p. 2:>4.
C
18 THE THOEOUGH GOOD COOK.
verbial frugality of his countrymen in the way of eating and
drinking, and the occasional difficulty which presented — and
still presents— itself to travellers in Spain of getting anything
to eat or drink at all. So far as my experience goes, you can
get along tolerably well in Spain, when you are travelling out
of the beaten track, if you will only contrive to reach a village
inn at the time of the midday meal, when the standing dish
is the natural ijucltero, for which I have given a recipe.* If
you miss your piichero, I am afraid that 3^ou will not be
able to obtain, in out-of-the-Avay places, anything more filling
than chocolate, bread, garlic, and grapes.
The Scottish Kitchen.
It is not without some fear and trembling that I, avIio,
if I am not a Saxon, am at least a cockney " pock-pudding,"
presume to devote a page in this book to the cookery of
the Land o' Cakes. The shadows of two mighty expositors
of the Scottish kitchen of the past float before me as I
address myself to my task. ^Memory recurs to the pages
of " Waverley " ; and, in imagination, I sit at the ban-
queting board at which Fergus Mclvor entertained Edward
AVaverley. Fish, game, and made dishes at the upper end
of the table; lower down, immense, clumsy joints of
mutton and beef; but no pork — swine's flesh being abhorred
in the Highlands. The central dish, a yearling lainb,
called a " hog in har'st," roasted, set upon its legs, Avith a
buuch of parsley in its mouth. The beverages, claret and
champagne for the chief and his guests ; with whisky
and strong beer for the clansmen. Then I recall the
breakfast which Lady Margaret Bellenden gave Claverhousc
* See p. i;!i'.
CHATS ABOUT COOKERY. ]9
Page 18
Presented as published in 1895. 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
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
In another portion of the innnortal romance of Miguel de
Cervantes y Saavedra there is a description of the marriage
feast of " Camacho the Rich." The first thing Avhich pre-
sented itself to Sancho's sight Avas a Avhole bullock spitted
upon a large elm. In six huge pots around, entire sheep
Avere SAvalloAved up, and floated like so many pigeons. Hares
ready flayed and foAvls ready plucked hung upon the branches;
infinite Avere the Avild fowl and venison hanging about.
Sancho counted three skins, each holding about tAventy-
four quarts, full of generous Avines ; hillocks, too, he saAv
of the Avhitest bread, and cheeses Avere piled up in the
manner of bricks. Naturall}', the feast being a Spanish
one, there Avere " two cauldrons of oil, larger than dyers' vats,"
Avhich stood ready for frying purposes. There is a touch of
Rabelais in the Avhole chapter of the Nuptials of Camacho ;
and Cervantes has more than once been accused of inditing
in this description of a Avedding feast a sly satire on the pro-
* See p. 2:>4.
C
18 THE THOEOUGH GOOD COOK.
verbial frugality of his countrymen in the way of eating and
drinking, and the occasional difficulty which presented — and
still presents— itself to travellers in Spain of getting anything
to eat or drink at all. So far as my experience goes, you can
get along tolerably well in Spain, when you are travelling out
of the beaten track, if you will only contrive to reach a village
inn at the time of the midday meal, when the standing dish
is the natural ijucltero, for which I have given a recipe.* If
you miss your piichero, I am afraid that 3^ou will not be
able to obtain, in out-of-the-Avay places, anything more filling
than chocolate, bread, garlic, and grapes.
The Scottish Kitchen.
It is not without some fear and trembling that I, avIio,
if I am not a Saxon, am at least a cockney " pock-pudding,"
presume to devote a page in this book to the cookery of
the Land o' Cakes. The shadows of two mighty expositors
of the Scottish kitchen of the past float before me as I
address myself to my task. ^Memory recurs to the pages
of " Waverley " ; and, in imagination, I sit at the ban-
queting board at which Fergus Mclvor entertained Edward
AVaverley. Fish, game, and made dishes at the upper end
of the table; lower down, immense, clumsy joints of
mutton and beef; but no pork — swine's flesh being abhorred
in the Highlands. The central dish, a yearling lainb,
called a " hog in har'st," roasted, set upon its legs, Avith a
buuch of parsley in its mouth. The beverages, claret and
champagne for the chief and his guests ; with whisky
and strong beer for the clansmen. Then I recall the
breakfast which Lady Margaret Bellenden gave Claverhousc
* See p. i;!i'.
CHATS ABOUT COOKERY. ]9