As Clotilde of Chocolate & Zuccini declares, February is the month of crêpes! She has previously offered up some delicious crêpes recipes, as well as a little of the traditions that accompany them. Going even further back, the French crêpe is a dish that proves to have its roots in medieval times, as well as a strong connection with pre-Lent celebration.
Carnival*, or rather Carne vale – Latin for Farewell meat – was the last hooray before Lenten abstinence. That is to say, it was the final chance to partake of meat & dairy products and eat up any perishable foods before the forty-day-long fast of Lent descended upon the medieval world. What few dairy products remained (remember, eggs and milk were a seasonal product then) were all eaten in a last frenzy of feasting, and there are certainly few egg dishes as elegantly simple and delicious as crêpes or pancakes. Indeed, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of Lent) came to be commonly known as Pancake Day in England in later centuries. It still is, though most people are ignorant of the reason why, merely recognising that a lot of restaurants have pancake specials on that day (which is the 20th this year if you want to indulge!).
There is a recipe for French crêpes, or rather Crespes, in the c.1393 manuscript known as Le Ménagier de Paris (The Goodman of Paris) - a household management manual written by an elderly Parisian haute bourgeoisie for his new young wife. The first part of the manual outlines the religious and moral duties and behavior considered fitting for a wife, whilst the second part covers the wide range of her household responsibilities. From the hiring of servants and growing of vegetables (or 'pot herbs'), to the order of menus, how to select good meat and other supplies, and providing a healthy diet. There are recipes for a multitude of dishes, with cooking tips included.
As commented in The Medieval Kitchen, crespes were already a singularly French recipe in medieval times. They were made of whole eggs, flour, salt and liquids, and fried in a thin layer in lard, or lard & butter. Italy and England had similarly named dessert dishes of the same time period, but the Italian crispa and crispelli and English cryspes recipes bore more relation to doughnuts than crêpes (the crispa and crispelli were made with leavened dough and deep-fried, and cryspes although cooked similarly, were made only of flour, egg whites and a sweetener of sugar or honey).
Also, the pan to be used for cooking the crespes is specifically described in detail in the recipe. Rodin et al suggest it is probably the forerunner of the modern French galettière, which possesses a similar shape, as most speciality crêpe pans today have slightly flared lips.
Interestingly enough, milk or cream aren’t used in the crespes recipe – which to modern sensibilities makes this ideal for the lactose intolerant.
The following Medieval French recipe, English translation and modern redaction are taken wholesale from The Medieval Kitchen1:
Original Medieval French
Crespes. Prenez de la fleur et déstrempez d’oeufs tant moyeux comme aubuns, osté le germe, et le deffaites d’eaue, et y mettez du sel et du vin, et batez longuement ensemble; puis mettez du sain sur le feu en une petite paelle de fer, ou moitié sain ou moitié beurre frais, et faites fremier; et adonc mettez de celle boulie dedans lescuelle en commençant ou milieu, et laissiez filer tout autour de la paelle; puis mettez en un plat, et de la pouldre de succre dessus. Et que la paelle dessusdite de fer ou d’arain tiengne trois choppines, et ait le bort demy doy de hault, et soit aussi large ou dessus comme en bas, ne plus ne moins, et pour cause.
Le Ménagier de Paris, # 226
Translation
Crepes. Take some flour, and moisten it with eggs, as many yolks as whites, with the filaments removed, and mix with water and add salt and wine, and beat everything together for a long time; then put some lard on the fire in a little iron pan, or half lard and half fresh butter, and let it bubble; and then take a bowl pierced with a hole as wide as your finger, and then put the batter in the dish; beginning with the center, let it flow all over the pan; then put it in a plate with powdered sugar on top. And that iron or bronze pan should hold three chopines, and have a rim half a finger’s-breadth high and should be as broad at the top as at the base, neither more nor less; there is a good reason for this.
Modern Redaction
¾ cup flour [100 gm]
3 eggs
6 Tb white wine
6 Tb water
¼ tsp salt
good-quality lard and/or butter for frying [AN: I just used all butter]
sugar for sprinkling, pref. Superfine [AN: I use caster sugar - works nicely]
Add the salt to the eggs, beat them with a wire whisk, then gradually beat in the flour. Add the wine and the water and whisk to combine. Leave to rest for one hour.
Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat; add ½ teaspoon each of butter and lard. When sizzling, add a small ladleful of batter, swirling the pan to spread the batter evenly over the entire surface. When golden brown, turn the crêpe over and lightly brown the second side. Pile the finished crêpes on a warmed plate, and sprinkle each with sugar.
The result of all this is a pleasant, slightly eggy crêpe that's consistent and easy to make and cook. Easy to eat too! I very greedily tried mine out with sugar, lemon & sugar, and butter, all of which were delicious. I think the crêpes would also go perfectly as lunch, with a slice of Brie melting on top of some honey-roasted ham.
*Mardi Gras
Bibliography
1 REDON, Odile et al. The Medieval Kitchen : Recipes from France and Italy June 1998, Univ of Chicago Press ISBN: 0226706842
SCULLY, Terence The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages August 1997 Boydell & Brewer; ISBN: 0851154301
Carbonata
