To Make Scotch Collops

This recipe for Scotch Collops appears in a late 17th-century English manuscript, a time when domestic cookery books were often handwritten and passed from one household to another. The dish itself—thin slices of veal battered with egg, herbs, and crumbs, then enriched with a savoury broth—was a luxurious and fashionable preparation, reflecting both the English fondness for veal and the growing influence of continental flavors (such as anchovy and nutmeg) in the Restoration and early Georgian table. The method reveals a culinary world on the cusp of codifying 'modern' European cuisine, with attention to flavourful sauces and careful garnishing that foreshadowed later, more refined eighteenth-century practices.

Cooks of the period would use a large sharp knife to slice and tenderize the veal, possibly a meat mallet or the heavy back of a cleaver. Mixing was done with ceramic or wooden bowls. The egg and nutmeg mixture would be applied with a 'feather'—literally a feather used as a brush, as pastry brushes were not common kitchen instruments. Frying would be done in a wide, shallow iron or brass pan over an open hearth fire, and sauce-making in the same or a similar pan. Spoons made of wood or pewter, and strainers of cloth or wire, would finish the broth.