Buttermilk

[aunty rach]

Our late C15th group have just purchased a lovely butter churn (thanks to 6 of 1) so we will be regularly making butter at our events.

I'm aware of modern recipes that use the buttermilk but does anyone know of any period recipes or what they would have used buttermilk for? I don't want to see it go to waste each time.

Thanks

[Grania]

I'm afraid this probably isn't much help to you, but just in case it is, I know buttermilk has been (and still is) widely used in traditional Irish recipes - it was certainly a popular drink for all classes in 16th etc century Ireland...

sorry, probably not a lot of help, but just in case.....

[Brother Ranulf]

I seem to recall the buttermilk from our weekend churning sessions being used occasionally in "drop scones" cooked on a griddle or something similar, but someone like Eve would be the one to know if there is a reliable period source for it (are you there Eve?).

[Eve]

Steve here posting for Eve who's getting ready for work.
Thanks for the mention Dave, how are you?
Drop scones are what springs to mind,(don't know if there's a period source for this or if it's a re-enactorism).
By 16th/17th century possibly given to the poor as a form of alms and there's always somebody on site who seems to enjoy drinking it.
Eve will do some research when she gets home, unless somebody else has answered by then.

Steve

[Miss Costello]

What about Figgy pudding?

Not sure of the age of the recipe but we used to make it with buttermilk. Also a chicken dish, which I know went as far back as the 18th cetury, it was sort of an early KFC!

[lucy the tudor]

Soda bread is great with buttermilk, don't think it's period, but yum!

[aunty rach]

I'd thought about drop scones, but wasn't convinced they're period. Does anyone know better?

Will definitely make some soda bread at home, just want to find some uses at events.

[Grania]

Soda bread is great with buttermilk, don't think it's period, but yum!

Definitely, soda bread isn't the same without it! Just a shame you can only buy it is small amounts over here!

[Eve]

Firstly let me say that I think Bro Ranulf has overstated my knowledge here, but thank you Dave.

Now, having looked through my books I'm afraid I don't have too many of WoR date & my copy of Forme of Cury is in middle English, which takes some translating (I can't skim read it!), I can't find any reference to using buttermilk except in Gervase Markham (1615) He state that "the best use of buttermilk for the able housewife is charitably to bestow it on the poor neighbours" he goes on the say you can make buttermilk curds by adding almost boiling milk and add to buttermilk, stir it and let stand. You then get curds that can be strained from the whey & eaten with cream, ale, wine or beer. The whey can then be drunk by "any labouring man".

So it looks like we should be making whey while the sun shines (oooch! sorry about that!)

[Brother Ranulf]

Thanks Eve (sorry to drop you in it! ).

All I know about buttermilk is I like to drink it and it's mentioned in a 10th century customary as one of the rights of a shepherd - a daily bowl of buttermilk throughout the summer. This right was carried over into Norman law and the Old English text was translated into Latin in the 12th century, but I don't know how long it remained in force.

[Lady Cecily]

I have a small churn (holds about 2 pints of cream) the quantity of buttermilk you get is just enough for a small pot. I always have a queue of people waiting to drink it - it never makes it into any other recipe.

[Eve]

Dave - that is fine. I quite enjoyed trying to find out, just a shame I haven't got more sources for that period at hand.

[bonnacon]

American corn bread recipes need buttermilk. My partner's American and I get fed it far far too infrequently it's superb with meat stews, melted cheese, hot butter, cold beer, chillies . . . . . . cant find any mediaeval recipes that include it but anything resembling a pancake mix would do !!

[katiepoppycat]

Feed it to small noisy dogs . . . . .