Foods of England

Compost

Fruit and Vegetables
Historic

General term for any mixture, most commonly now of fruit, but earlier a stew of mixed ingredients (Liber Cure 1430, Austin 1440, etc).

The current French term 'compote' derives from the older 'composte'.

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

For to make a compost.
Take tho chekyns and hew hom for tho seke,
All but the hede and the legges eke;
Take a handfulle of herb lovache,
And another of persely, als
Of sage that never was founde fals,
And nother of lekes and alle hom wasshe
those herbes in water, that rennes so rasshe;
Breke thorowghe thy honde, bothe herbe and leke,
With a pynt of hony enbeny hom eke,
Summe of these herbes thou shalle laye
In the pottus bothun [sothun?], as I the say;
Summe of the chekyns thou put therto,
And then of the herbw do to also;
So of tho ton so of that other,
tho herbw on the last my dere brother;
Above these herbus a lytul larde
Smalle myncyd, haldand togeder warde;
Take powder of gynger and canel god wone,
Cast on these other thynges everychon;
Be slewe and powre in water then
To myd tho pot, as I the kenne;
Opone tho bruys poure it withinne,
And cover it that no hete oute wynne,
And tendurly seyth it thou do may,
Salt it, serve it, as I the say.

Original Receipt in Austin 1440 for 'Pears in Compost';

Perys en Composte. Take wine an cinnamon, & a gret dele of Whyte sugar, an set it on the fire & hete it hote, but let it nowt boil, an draw it thorwe a strainer; than take fair dates, an pick out the stonys, an leche them alle thinne, an caste thereto; thanne take Wardonys, an pare them and seethe them, Page 13 an leche them alle thinne, & caste thereto in-to the Syryppe: thanne take a little Sawnderys, and caste thereto, an set it on the fire; an if thow hast charde quynce, caste thereto in the boyling, an loke that it stonde well with sugar, an well lyid with cinnamon, an caste Salt thereto, an let it boil; an than caste yt on a treen vessel, & let it kele, & serve forth.

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