To Make a Calf's Head Hash

This rich and elaborate recipe hails from the late 1600s, a time when English households prized nose-to-tail cookery and no part of a valuable animal went to waste. A dish like calf’s head hash would appear on the table of well-off families during festive meals or banquets, demonstrating both culinary skill and social status. The layering of flavors—wine, anchovy, herbs, and spices—reflects the growing influence of Continental tastes on English kitchens during this period. The use of sippets, or toasted bread, to catch the sauce was typical of the era before the common use of forks, and the inclusion of fried brain cakes showcases sophisticated techniques and a taste for textural variety.

A large cauldron or kettle was used for boiling the calf’s head, while a heavy stewpot or posset pan would suit the stewing phase. Cooks would employ a sharp knife for slicing meat and a mortar and pestle for pounding spices. Candlenut or hardwood spatulas turned the frying brain cakes in a wrought-iron pan, and sieves clarified the broth. Hand-whisked egg yolks and hand-sliced sippets completed the dish, and the array would be artfully arranged on a large pewter or earthenware platter. The cook might have a chopping bench, cleaver, and trussing needles as part of their culinary arsenal.