Foods of England

Charlet

Eggs
Historic

A custard of milk and eggs, with cooked pork and seasoning, known from the 14th to 17th Centuries. The earliest known receipt is: "Take Pork and seethe it well. Hew it small, cast it in a pan, break eggs thereto and whisk it well together. Do thereto cow's milk and saffron and boil it together. Salt it & present it forth." (Cury 1390, Liber Cure 1430)

Original Receipt in the verse cookery book 'Liber Cure Cocorum', 1430 (Liber Cure 1430);

Charlet.
Take swettest mylke, that thou may have,
Colour it with safron, so God the save;
Take fresshe porke and sethe it well,
And hew it smalle every dele;
Swyng eggs, and do there to;
Set it over the fyre, then
Boyle it and sture lest it brenne;
Whenne it welles up, thou schalt it kele
With a litel ale, so have thou cele;
When it is inowe, thou sett it doune,
And kepe it lest it be to broune.

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