How To Make A Pudding Of Pidgeons

This recipe hails from the late 1600s, an era in England when savory pies and puddings were central to both noble and household feasting. Pigeons were a common source of protein for affluent diners, with 'pudding' referring less to dessert and more to stuffed, encased, or sauced dishes. The combination of mushrooms and anchovies reflects the period's fondness for rich, umami flavors, and the use of garlic, vinegar, and herbs captures the interplay of sharp and earthy tastes in post-medieval British cookery. Such recipes were often shared among the educated elite, preserved in manuscript cookbooks, and the style reveals both an experimental spirit and a delight in bold, robust flavors lost in later restrained English cuisine.

Cooks of the period used a combination of open fire, cast iron or brass skillets, and heavy wooden rolling pins. A sharp knife would slice the small ingredients; a mortar and pestle might further break down the stuffing mixture. Dishes and serving platters were typically earthenware or pewter, and the garlic-rubbing would have been done with cut cloves against a cool, hard surface. Pans were deglazed over high flame, sometimes by quickly adding vinegar or wine directly into the hot pan.