To Roaste A Pigg With A Pudding In His Belly
From the treasured pages of Cookbook of Ann Smith, Reading
Written by Ann Smith

To Roaste A Pigg With A Pudding In His Belly
"Take A Pigg & Roaste it when it is ½ roasted, pull off the hair skin all Before you put it to the fire againe wash it all ovor with the youlks of oggs a Little salt & latt it Roaste & Bast it whon you Take it up Bread it Like as you Doe other meats. The Pudding Take The hearts & Liver & Lights & boyle them vory well & quick till thay be Tendər and smooth. Bread or Grated Bread all vory small with as much Just of other Things & a Littl Grated Brad mingle these with 8 youlks of oggs or 2 whites almost and whole nutmodggs a Little Sugar & salt a Little fwoott Marjorum, Parsley & Tymɔ & putt into The Piggs Belly when you frill it & sow it up. This Sarces for it is white wind & Butter a Little sliced nutmodggs & Lemon But if you havð not A Lemmon A Little Viniga will Dod."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in the semi-formal, conversational style of late 17th-century English manuscripts, with spelling variations ('boyle', 'oggs', 'youlks', 'latt', 'sarces', etc.) and a lack of standardized measurements or oven temperatures. Directions rely on experience: cooks were trusted to judge doneness, mix 'as much just of other things', and combine 'a little' of this or that. The text flows as a set of actions, sometimes running several instructions together, with minimal punctuation—common in early modern recipe writing. Specific terminology (e.g., 'lights' for lungs) and now-rare cooking verbs ('frill' or 'baste') reflect both the language and techniques of the time.

Title
Cookbook of Ann Smith, Reading (1698)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Ann Smith
Era
1698
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step into the sumptuous kitchens of 17th-century England with Ann Smith’s culinary treasury, where traditional recipes and time-honored techniques invite you to savor the flavors of history. Each page promises a feast of inspiration and a glimpse into the artful dining of a bygone era.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe comes from Ann Smith’s 1698 manuscript, a period just before the dawn of the English Enlightenment and on the edge of the Georgian era. Recipes of this time often reflected both extravagance and thrift: a fully roasted pig signaled great celebration, while the inclusion of offal in a savory pudding is resourceful and typical of pre-industrial culinary frugality. Seconds like this show up in household manuscripts intended for well-off but hands-on cooks—often women—who orchestrated feasts for manor tables. The sauce’s lemon or vinegar touch marks the ongoing influence of earlier medieval tastes for balance and brightness at the table.

In 1698, this dish would have been made in a large open hearth. Roasting a pig required a spit—typically iron—turned manually or with a clockwork jack over radiant heat from a wood fire. Cooks used basins for beating eggs, knives for mincing offal, mortars and pestles or graters for breadcrumbs and nutmeg, and large needles and string or linen thread to sew the pig shut once stuffed. Pans for melting butter and heating wine completed the arsenal. All preparation was done by hand, with close attention to the fire’s heat and the complex timings needed for roasting large joints of meat and making rich puddings.
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings
8
Ingredients
- 1 suckling pig (9-11 lbs), cleaned and dehaired
- 3-4 egg yolks
- Pinch salt, plus 1 tsp for the pudding
- 5.3 oz fine white breadcrumbs
- Pig’s heart, liver, and lungs (or 9 oz chicken livers and 1 pork heart as substitute)
- 8 egg yolks (or 8 yolks plus 2 whites)
- 1 whole nutmeg, grated
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Handful fresh marjoram, chopped
- Handful fresh parsley, chopped
- Handful fresh thyme, chopped
- 1.75 oz melted butter
- 4.25 fl oz dry white wine
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced (or 1-2 tsp white wine vinegar)
Instructions
- To make a modern version of 'To Roaste A Pigg with A Pudding In His Belly,' begin by preparing a suckling pig, approximately 9-11 lbs, and roasting it.
- When it is about halfway cooked, remove from the oven, and carefully peel off the outer skin if possible (this step is less common today but can be mimicked by scoring and basting for a crisp finish).
- Brush the pig all over with egg yolks (about 3-4) mixed with a big pinch of salt, then return to roast, regularly basting with the remaining egg mixture.
- Once finished, dust the pig with fine breadcrumbs before serving, simulating the 'breading' effect mentioned.
- For the pudding, simmer the pig’s offal (heart, liver, and lungs, or modern substitutes like chicken livers and pork heart) in water until extremely tender, then finely mince or blend.
- Mix with about 5.3 oz of very finely grated or crumbed white bread, 8 egg yolks (or, for a lighter effect, 2 egg whites and 8 yolks), one whole grated nutmeg, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, a generous handful of chopped fresh parsley, thyme, and marjoram.
- Stuff this mixture into the cleaned cavity of the pig, sew or tie it shut, and roast as above.
- Serve with a simple sauce of melted butter, a splash of white wine, a sprinkling of grated nutmeg, and sliced fresh lemon.
- If lemon is not available, substitute 1-2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar to add acidity.
Estimated Calories
780 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 45 minutes to prepare the pig and pudding, and about 2 hours 30 minutes to roast the pig until it is fully cooked. The recipe serves 8 people, with each serving containing about 780 calories.
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