Year of Food and Drink 2015
with champagne.
The Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015 continues with September's theme of celebration.
Food and drink has long been part of celebration.
While today it is traditional to celebrate special occasions with a decorated cake, in the past at some weddings, the 'Bride's pie' was the principal dish.
Recipe of the month from the Library's collections: Bride Pie
The Bride pie was not sweet, as wedding cakes are today. Instead, it contained a selection of savoury delicacies.
Robert May published a recipe for 'Batalia Pye' in his famous book, 'The accomplished cook', published in London in 1660.
May's 17th-century recipe is similar to the later Scottish version shown here, although May's included artichokes or asparagus. Later, some batalia pies contained fish and shellfish mixtures, with elaborate pastry cases constructed like the battlements of a castle.
This extravagant pie from an anonymous 18th-century recipe book is stuffed with meats, oysters and hard boiled eggs in a well-seasoned sauce. 'Batalia' means 'small blessed objects' and this pie was full of treats.
'A Batalia Pye, or Bride Pye'
Take a yound [young] Chickens [sic] as big as black Birds, Quails, Young Partridges. and Larks. and Squab Pigeons; truft [truss] them and put them in your Pye; then have Ox-palates. boiled. blanch'd and cut in pieces. Lamb stones. Sweet-breads cut in halves or quarters, Coxcombs blanch'd a quart of Oysters dipped in Eggs and dredged over with grated Bread, Marrow. having so done. Sheep's Tongues boiled. peeled. and Cut in Slices; Season with Salt, Pepper, Cloves, Mace and Nutmegs, beaten and mix'd together, put Butter at ye bottom of the Pye. and place ye rest in with Yolks of hard Eggs. Knots of Eggs Cocks-stones and Treads, Forc'd-meat Balls, cover all with Butter and cover up the Pye; put in five or Six Spoonfulls of Water when it goes into ye Oven and when 'tis drawn, pour it out and put in Gravy.