Caparata

This recipe, titled 'Caparata', is drawn from a manuscript dated approximately to 1706. The early 18th century was a period of inventive cookery among the English gentry and upper classes. The dish is resourceful: making delicious use of leftover cooked poultry, as was common in the era when nothing was wasted. It reflects the ongoing influence of continental European flavors—luxurious cheese and sweet currants paired with meat, a legacy of medieval tastes, lingering into the early modern table. The recipe’s flexible topping of poached or fried eggs signals a typical practicality and nod to individual taste. Its manuscript provenance is indicated by the reference, 'W.a.111', showing this was preserved as part of a private household collection rather than a printed cookbook—suggesting it was a cherished practice in domestic kitchens.

In 1706, such a recipe would have been prepared at the hearth. The chicken and other ingredients would have been stewed in a small metal or ceramic pan over the fire. A copper or earthenware 'chafing dish'—called a 'choffer' in the recipe—would have been used to gently heat the final dish, keeping the cheese from burning while melting. Eggs would be poached in a shallow pan of simmering water or fried in a heavy iron skillet or a copper pan with butter. Knives for mincing, wooden spoons for stirring, and a broad-bladed spatula or slice for lifting the eggs would have been part of every cook’s kit.