A dauce egre PERIOD: England, 14th century | SOURCE: Utilis Coquinario | CLASS: Authentic DESCRIPTION: Fish in a sweet and sour sauce ORIGINAL RECEIPT: 17. A dauce egre. Tak luces or tenches or fresch haddok, & seth hem & frye hem in oyle doliue. & þan tak vynegre & þe thridde part sugre & onyounnes smal myced, & boyle alle togedere, & maces & clowes & quybibes. & ley þe fisch in disches & hyld þe sew aboue & serue it forth. - Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985. GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION: A sweet and sour fish. Take luces or tenches or fresh haddock, & boil them & frye them in olive oil. & then take vinegar & the third part sugar & onions small minced, & boil alle together, & maces & cloves & cubebs. & lay the fish in dishes & hold the sauce above & serve it forth. MODERN RECIPE: Fresh fish, either whole or in fillets (see note below), enough to feed 2-3 people

olive oil

2 cups red wine vinegar

1/3 cup sugar (approx.)

1 medium sized onion, minced

1/2 tsp. each mace & cloves

1 tsp. ground cubeb or black pepper Poach the fish until just done; remove from water and allow to drain well. In a sauce pan, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, onions & spices. Taste for sweetness and flavor and adjust accordingly - you are making a sweet and sour sauce, so try to attain a proper balance between vinegar & sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking until the onions are thoroughly soft. In a frying pan, heat a little olive oil. Fry the fish on both sides in the hot oil until a crispy light brown. Remove from the oil and drain. Place the fish in a serving platter and ladle the sauce on top. Serves 2-3. The fish needs to be fresh and either whole (but cleaned & gutted), in fillets, or in "steaks." Haddock will almost certainly be easier for most to people to find than "luces or tenches," but feel free to use any fish available to you. Metric, Celsius, & Gas Mark Equivalencies