Category: Nu hit ys on swines dome, cwæð se ceorl sæt on eoferes hricge (It’s up to the pig now, said the man sat on the boar’s back) Make something relating to swine, chance, or fate
Entrant: Rose Taillor
Title: Roast Whole Pig
This Pig was roasted at St Sebastian’s 2025, which I’m declaring means I can use it for this year’s challenge!
I cooked a traditional 14th C English meal, with a pea pottage, various salads and vegetables, and a dessert of stuffed apples. The centre-piece of the meal was this roast pig. It was stuffed with a mixture of apples, fennel, sage, and parsley, and cooked all day on the spit, which was cleaned and set up by Master Braythwayte. Lord Gerard de la Croix spent all day turning the spit, and Mistress Isabell Winter assisted with the carving and ensuring it was fully cooked. As you can see, our wonderful Baroness kept the fire going and our spirits high. THL Nathanael and THL Melissa were, as always, absolutely instrumental in keeping the kitchen running, and my kitchen helpers were ever-present and wonderful.
Pigs were kept by most households in Medieval Britain, as they were easy to keep and ate the leftovers of the family. They were commonly killed in the winter months, and this can be seen in many Books of Hours, where the Calendar month of December is the butchery time. The meat was then preserved by salting and smoking, and the non-perishable meat such as organs were eaten quickly. To roast a whole animal was a statement of power and privilege, and was therefore done more by the elite than the average peasant household. The time taken to roast it, the fuel demanded, and the ability to summon so many people to feast upon it was the purview of the wealthy. I certainly felt privileged to be trusted to make this meal, and am eternally grateful to everyone mentioned above for their invaluable assistance.
