Sunday, June 23, 2013

Boke of Kervynge, part 4 (into modern English)

The sewer [def. person who sets, or supervised the serving of the dishes] must sewe [def. act of setting out the dishes] and from the board, convey all manner of potages [food cooked in a pot], meats and sauces and every day common [def. “comon”, possibly to share, such as being in common] with the cook and understand and observe how many dishes shall be and speak with the panter [def. office of the pantry] and officers of the spicery, for fruit that shall be eaten in fasting. Then go to the board of sewing [belonging to the office of the sewer] and see you have officers ready to convey and servants to bare your dishes. Also if marshal squires and servants of arms be there, then serve forth your sovereign without blame.

 Service.
First you set forth mustard and brawne, pottage, beef [and?] mutton stewed. Pheasant/ swan/ capon/ pig/ venison baked [venison pie]/ custard/ leche and Lombard [probably the dish leche lumbard]. Fritter vaunte with a soteltie, two potages, blanc manger and gelly. For standard venison, roast kid, fawn and cony [mature rabbit]/ bustard, stork, crane peacock with his tail, heron [possibly a young heron], bittern, woodcock, partridge, plover, young rabbits, great birds, larkes/ doucettes [a sweet dish], Paynpuff white leche amber [unsure if this is “paynpuff white” and “leche amber”]/ gelly, cream of almonds/ curlew, brewe [possibly a whimbrel], snipe, quail, sparrow, martin, perch in jelly/ “pety peruys”, Quinces baked, “leche dewgarde”, sage fritter, blandrelles or pippins [both being apples] with caraway comfits, wafers and Hippocras [if] they are agreeable/ Now this feast is done “voyde” [clear] the table.

There ends the sewing [or appropriately: serving] of flesh. And begins the carving of flesh.



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See notes here for information on the book and translation. In this case, I did refer to other versions of the same book for better translation. 

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