To Devil Fowl Or Turkey

This recipe hails from the culinary notebook of Colonel Charles Ellice, a British Army officer and inveterate traveler, whose handwritten cookbook charts his journeys and eatings across Britain and colonial India during the mid-19th century. 'Devilling' meats was the height of Victorian flavor enthusiasm: a liberal dousing of punchy spices and sauces transformed bland leftovers or cold poultry into something much livelier for the British palate abroad. Harvey sauce, long vanished from modern shelves, was a savory, spicy sauce much like Worcestershire. The Colonel's fondness for international tastes (and the necessity of preserving or reinvigorating meats while stationed abroad) blazes through this fiery, quick method.

The Victorian military cook or servant would have used a robust wooden chopping board for jointing the bird, a pestle and mortar to grind spices, and a sturdy iron or copper pot for boiling. Mixing the sauce would be done in a small bowl or directly on the meat with a spoon or hand. A simple carving knife and fork would suffice for serving, and a small ladle or spoon to drizzle over the remainder of the sauce.