Recipe Manuscript

Kokt And

Name: Kokt And
Prep time: PTPT45M
Cook time: PTPT3H
Yield: 6
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 whole duck (about 2–2.5 kg); Salt (to taste); Black pepper (to taste); 225 grams butter (unsalted); 450 grams all-purpose flour; 2–3 onions; Additional butter for frying (about 2 tablespoons); 1–2 tablespoons flour (for sauce); 300 ml milk or water (for sauce); Pickled gherkins (to serve)

"Boiled Duck"

1889

From the treasured pages of Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika

Written by C. A. (Charles A.) Vallentin

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)European American Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1889

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Kokt And

"— Anden urtages, gnides inuti med fint salt och peppar, benen läggas tätt till kroppen, omlindas med segelgarn, gnides nu utanpå med salt och peppar. En deg tillagas af ½ pound smör och 1 pound mjöl: anden omlindas med degen, en duk viras tätt omkring det hela, och kokas 2—3 timmar. Lök stekes i smör tills den är brun, litet mjöl iröres samt spädes med mjölk eller vatten. Serveras med såsen och picklade gurkor."

English Translation

"— Remove the duck’s insides, rub the inside with fine salt and pepper, press the bones closely to the body, wrap with sailcloth string, then rub the outside with salt and pepper. Prepare a dough with ½ pound butter and 1 pound flour: wrap the duck in the dough, tightly wrap the whole thing in a cloth, and boil for 2–3 hours. Fry onions in butter until they are brown, stir in a little flour, and dilute with milk or water. Serve with the sauce and pickled cucumbers."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the concise, imperative style typical of late 19th-century cookbooks, assuming a reader with hands-on kitchen experience. Ingredients and instructions blend together, with minimal measurements and little explanation, as was the custom for the era. Swedish spelling retains now-archaic forms and kitchen-specific jargon, such as 'segelgarn' (sail thread) and 'deg' (dough), expecting an intuitive understanding from the contemporary home cook. This reflects a practical approach—summary directions trusted the cook to interpret quantities and technique, prioritizing economy of words and adaptability.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika (1889)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

C. A. (Charles A.) Vallentin

Era

1889

Publisher

Svenska bok-och musikhandelns förlag

Background

A practical and charmingly illustrated Swedish cookbook tailored for immigrants in America, this 1889 volume serves up a delightful array of recipes and culinary wisdom, blending Old World tradition with New World ingredients.

Kindly made available by

Library of Congress

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe appears in the 1889 'Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika,' a Swedish-language cookbook published in Minneapolis to help Swedish immigrants adapt their traditional practices to American resources. The dish encapsulates the blending of old-world Swedish customs and new-world ingenuity, allowing settlers to recreate comforting festival foods with available American ingredients and kitchen tools. Boiling in dough, rather than roasting, was a practical method of ensuring tender, moist meat, especially in wood-stove kitchens without reliable ovens.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

A large cooking pot would have been essential—deep and wide enough to fit a dough-wrapped duck, most likely heated on a wood or coal stove. Muslin or linen cloths served to wrap the dough and duck, mimicking a now-rare traditional technique. A sturdy rolling pin and mixing bowl were used for making the dough, and heavy knives and cutting boards prepared the duck. For the sauce, a frying pan and wooden spoon sufficed. Binding twine or sailmaker’s thread ('segelgarn') kept the bird compact. The process was deeply hands-on, requiring skillful butchery and dough-working.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 whole duck (about 4 1/2–5 1/2 lbs)
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
8 ounces butter (unsalted)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2–3 onions
Additional butter for frying (about 2 tablespoons)
1–2 tablespoons flour (for sauce)
1 1/4 cups milk or water (for sauce)
Pickled gherkins (to serve)

Instructions

Start by taking a whole duck and cleaning it well.
Rub the inside of the duck with fine salt and black pepper.
Fold the legs and wings tightly against the body, then tie everything securely with butcher’s twine.
Now season the outside of the duck with more salt and pepper.
Prepare a dough using 8 ounces of butter and 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.
Encase the duck entirely in this dough.
Tightly wrap the dough-covered duck in a clean cloth or cheesecloth, securing it with more twine.
Boil the wrapped duck in a large pot of water for 2 to 3 hours.
Meanwhile, fry sliced onions in butter until deep golden brown.
Add a little flour to the onions, then gradually stir in milk or water to make a sauce.
Serve the cooked duck sliced, with the onion sauce and pickled gherkins on the side.

Estimated Calories

900 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend some time preparing the duck, making the dough, and wrapping everything before cooking. The duck simmers gently for a few hours to become tender and juicy. Making the onion sauce takes a bit more time, but it's simple to do while the duck cooks. Overall, the process takes a few hours, but most of it is hands-off.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.