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Food in the Middle Ages

Roast Pheasant Recipe

In medieval times, the pheasant, after plucking would be drawn – the inners removed – then the inside and outside wiped. The neck and head may or may not be left on and the legs and feet would be cut off at the knees. After preparing and trussing, the pheasant would then be larded - bacon inserted into the flesh. Then butter put into the body and the pheasant roasted.

The best tail-feathers might then be reserved and used to decorate the bird after roasting, making a stunning table ‘centerpiece’.
However, for today’s and practical purposes the following roasting method will be fine:

Ingredients
Pheasant
4-6 tablespoons butter
2-3 slices bacon
Flour

Cooking Instructions
First slit the bacon - to prevent curling - then lay this over the pheasant's breast. Next put the butter inside the body. Now put the pheasant in a greased roasting pan; cover with aluminum foil and roast at 425°F.

For the final ten minutes of roasting remove the foil and the bacon, baste, and then dredge the pheasant with flour before returning to the oven for the remaining cooking time.
Total cooking time will be about one hour or until the pheasant is cooked through.

Food in the Middle Ages - Pottage Recipe >>