The whole body of cookery dissected, taught, and fully manifested, methodically, artificially, and according to the best tradition of the English, French, Italian, Dutch, &c., or, A sympathie of all varieties in naturall compounds in that mysterie wherein is contained certain bills of fare for the seasons of the year, for feasts and common diets : whereunto is annexed a second part of rare receipts of cookery, with certain useful traditions : with a book of preserving, conserving and candying, after the most exquisite and newest manner ...

General Directions for the Carving up of Fowl.

Lift that Swan.

THe manner of cutting up a Swan, must be to slit her right down in the middle of the breast, and so clean through the back, from the neck to the Rump; so part her in two halves, but you must do it cleanly and handsomly, that you break not nor tear the meat; then lay the two halves in a fair Charger, with the slit sides down∣wards, throw salt about it, and set it again to the Table; Let your sauce be Chaldron for a Swan, and serve it in saucers.

Rear that Goose.

YOu must break a Goose up contrary to this fashion, take a Goose being roasted, and take off both the legs fair like shoulders of Lamb, take them quite from the body, then cut off the belly-piece round close to the end of the breast, then lace her down with your knife clean through the breast, on each side a thumbs breadth from the bone in the middle of the breast, then take off the pinion of each side, and the flesh you first laced with your knife, raise it up clean from the bone, and take it off clean from the car∣kass with the pinion; then cut up the bone which lyeth before in the breast, commonly called the Merry-thought, the skin and the flesh being upon it, then cut from the breast-bone another slice of flesh clean through, and take it clean from the bone, then turn your carkass and cut it asunder, the back bone above the loyn bones, then take the rump end of the back-bone and lay it in a fair dish with the skinny side upwards, lay at the fore-end of it the Merry-thought, with the skinny side upward, and before that the Apron of the Goose, then lay your pinions on each side contrary, set your legs on each side contrary behind them, that the bone ends of the legs may stand up cross in the middle of the dish, and the wing-pinions may come in

the outside of them, put under the wing pinions on each side, the long slices of flesh, which you cut from the breast-bone, and let the ends meet under the leg-bones, and let the other ends lie out in the dish betwixt the leg and the pini∣on, then pour in your sauce into the dish under your meat, and throw on salt, and set it on the Table.

To cut up a Turkey or Bustard.

YOu must raise up the leg very fair, and open the joynt with the point of your knife, but take not off the leg, then lace down the breast with your knife on both sides, and open the breast pinion with your knife, but take it not off, then raise up the Merry-thought, betwixt the breast-bone and the top thereof, then lace down the flesh on both sides the breast-bone, and raise up the flesh called the Brawn, and turn it outward upon both-sides, but break it not, nor cut it off, then cut off the wing pinions at the joynt next the body, and stick in each side the pinion in the place you turned out the brawn, but cut off the sharp end of the pinion, and take the middle piece, and that will fit just in the place: You may cut up a Capon or Pheasant the same way, but of your Capon cut not off the pinion; but in the place where you put the pinion of your Turkey, you must put the Gizard of your Capon, on each side half.

Dismember that Heron.

YOu must take off both the legs, lace it down to the breast with your knife on both sides, and raise up the flesh, and take it clean off with the pinion, then you must stick the head in the breast, and set the pinion on the con∣trary side of the carkass, and the leg on the other side of the carkass, so that the bone ends may meet cross over the carkass, and the other wing cross over upon the top of the carkass.

Ʋnbrace that Mallard.

RAise up the pinion and legs, but take them not off, and raise the Merry-thought from the breast, and lace it down each side of the breast with your knife, bending to and fro like waves.

Unlace that Coney.

TUrn the back downward, and cut the belly flaps clean off from the Kidney, but take heed you cut not the Kidney, nor the flesh, then put in the point of your knife between the Kidneys, and loosen the flesh from the bone on each side of the bone, then turn up the back of the Rabbet, and cut it cross between the wings, then lace it down close by the bone with your knife on both sides, then open the flesh of the Rabbet from the bone with the point of your knife against the Kidney, and pull the leg open softly with your hand, but pull it not off, then thrust in your knife betwixt the ribbs and the Kidney, and slit it out, then lay the legs close together.

Sauce that Capon.

TAke up a Capon and lift up the right leg, and right wing, and so array forth, and lay him in the platter, as as he should fly, and serve your Lord, and know well, that Capons or Chickens be arrayed after one sauce, the Chickens shall be sauced with green sauce or Verjuice.

Allay that Pheasant.

TAke a Pheasant, raise his legs and his wings, as it were a Hen, and no sauce, only salt.

Wing that Partridge.

TAke a Partridge and raise his legs and wings as a Hen, if ye mince him, sauce him with wine, powder of Ginger, and salt, then set him upon a Chafin-dish of coals to warm, and serve it.

Wing that Quail.

TAke a Quail and raise his legs and wings, as a Hen; use no sauce but salt.

Display that Crane.

TAke a Crane and unfold his legs, and cut off his wings by the joynts, then take up his wings and his legs, and sauce them with powder of Ginger, Mustard, Vinegar and salt.

Dismember that Heron.

TAke a Heron and raise his legs and his wings, as a Crane, and sauce him with Vinegar, Mustard, powder ef Gin∣ger and salt.

Unjoynt that Bittern.

TAke a Bittern and raise his legs and wings, as a Heron, and no sauce but salt.

Break thas Egript.

TAke an Egript and raise his legs and wings, as a Heron, and no sauce but salt.

Ʋntach that Curlew.

TAke a Curlew and raise his legs and wings, as a Hen, no sauce but salt.

Untach that Brew.

TAke a Brew and raise him up as before, no sauce but salt, and serve it.

Break that Sarcell.

TAke a Sarcell or Teal, and raise his wings and legs, and no sauce but salt.

Mince that Plover.

TAke a Plover, raise him as a Hen, no sauce but salt.

A Snite.

RAise him as you did the Plover, no sauce but salt.

Thigh that Woodcock.

TAke a Woodcock, raise his legs and wings as a Hen, this done, dight him the brain.

From the Feast of Whitsuntide unto Midsummer.

IN the second course for the meats aforesaid, you must take for your sauces, Ale, Wine-Vinegar, and Powders after meat, but Ginger a Canell from Penticost to the Feast of Saint John Baptist.

The first course shall be Beef and Mutton, with boyled Capons, or roasted; but if the Capon be boyled, dress him in the manner aforesaid, and when he is roasted you must cast on Salt, with Wine or Ale, then take the Capon by the

leg and cast on the sauce, and break him out, and lay him in a dish as he should lie; first ye shall cut the right leg, and right shoulder, and between the four members lay the brawn of the Capon, with the croup in the end between the legs, as it were possible to be joyned together; and other baked meats after: And in the second course Pottage shall be Jussel, Charlet, or Motrus, with young Geese, Veal, Pork, Pigeons, or Chickens roasted with Pam-puff, Fretters, and other baked meat after the direction of the Cook: Also the Goose ought to be cut member to member, beginning at the right leg, and so forth under the right wing, and not upon the joynt above, and it ought to be eaten with Sorrell, or tender Vines, or Verjuice in Summer season, after the pleasure of your Lord; also you must understand, that all manner of fowls that have whole feet, should be raised un∣der the wing and not above.

From the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, unto Michaelmas.

IN the first course, Pottage, Worts, Gruel and Frumenty; with Venison, and Mortrus, and legs of Pork with green-sauce, roasted Capon, Swan with Chaldron: In the second course Pottage, after the direction of the Cooks, with roasted Mutton, Veal, Pork, Chickens, or endoured Pigeons, Heron-sews, Fritters, or baked meats; take heed of a Phea∣sant, for he must be baked in the manner of a Capon, but it must be done dry without any moisture, and he must be eaten with salt and powder of Ginger; and the Heron-sew must be drest in the same manner, without any moisture, and he should be eaten with salt and powder; also you must understand that all sorts of Fowls, having open claws, as a Capon, shall be dressed and set forth as a Capon or such like.

From the Feast of Saint Michaelmas, unto the Feast of Christmass.

IN the first course, Pottage, Beef, Mutton, Bacon, legs of Pork, or with Goose, Capon, Mallard, Swan or Pheasant, as it is before said, with Tarts or baked meats, or chines of Pork: In the second course, Pottage, Mortrus, or Conies, or Sew, the roasted flesh, Mutton, Pork, Veal, Pullets, Pigeons, Teals, Widgeons, Mallards, Partridge, Woodcocks, Plovers, Bittern, Curlew, Heron-sew, Venison roasted, Streat birds, Snites, Feldfares, Thrushes, Fritters, Chewets, Beef with sauce and other baked meats, as is aforesaid: And if you carve before your Lord or your Lady, any boyled Flesh, carve away the skin above, then carve not too much of the flesh for your Lord and Lady; and especially for Ladies, for they will soon be angry, for their thoughts are soon changed, and some Lords will be soon pleased, and some not, as they be of complexion: The Goose and Swan may be cut as you do other Fowls, that have whole feet, or else as your Lord and Lady would have it: Also a Swan with a Chaldron, Capon, or Pheasant, ought to be dressed as it is afore-mentioned; but the skin must be taken away, and when they are, then carve before your Lord or your Lady; for generally, all manner of whole-footed Fowls that have their living on the water, their skins be wholsom and clean, for cleanness of water and fish is their living, and if they eat any stinking thing, it is made so clean with the water, that all the corruption is clean gone away from it: But the skin of a Capon, Hen, or Chicken, is not so clean, for they eat foul things in the street, and therefore their skins be not so wholesom; for it is not their kind to enter into the River to make their meat void of filth: Mal∣lard, Goose, or Swan, they eat upon the Land-fowl meat, but after their kind they go to the River, and there they cleanse them of their foul stink; the skin of a Pheasant, as is aforesaid, is not wholesom; then take away the heads of all field and wood birds, as Pheasant, Peacock, Partridge, Woodcock, Curlew for they eat in their degree foul things, as worms, toads, and other the like.