The word "garbage" originally referred to entrails and offal. It appears quite frequently in old recipes. Here is how it's used in a fifteenth-century cookbook:
Take fayre garbagys of chykonys, as the hed, the fete, the lyuerys, an the gysowrys; washe hem clene, an caste hem in a fayre potte, an caste ther-to freysshe brothe of Beef or ellys of moton, an let it boyle; an a-lye it wyth brede, an ley on Pepir an Safroun, Maces, Clowys, an a lytil verious an salt, an serue forth in the maner as a Sewe. --Medieval Cookery
[Take some nice garbage of chickens, such as the head, the feet, the livers, and the gizzards; wash them clean and put them in a nice pot, and add fresh beef or mutton broth, and let it boil. Add bread, pepper, saffron, mace, cloves, and a little verjuice* and salt, and serve it as a pottage]
"Fayre" would have been the opposite of "foul," as "nice" is now the opposite of "nasty." The bread was used for thickening, a pottage is a soup or stew, and verjuice is (according to the OED) "the acid juice of green or unripe grapes, crab-apples, or other sour fruit, expressed and formed into a liquor." Actually it all sounds pretty good, but I'd substitute lamb for the chicken innards.
...and pour in a little Kaitei No Mitsu.. It's the most delicious, nutritious stuff in the world.. even better than Survival Spice..
..and serve it with an ice cold Slusho.. You cant drink just six..
Posted by: Jake | December 31, 2007 at 01:59 PM
sounds like verjuice means vinegar.
Posted by: aware | January 01, 2008 at 08:35 PM
ooh, neato. here's a history and recipe for verjuice, which is indeed like vinegar but milder.
http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/verjuice.htm
Posted by: aware | January 01, 2008 at 08:37 PM