While traveling, many Viking Age traders carried small cookware like pots and pans.
Today, we are accustomed to grocery stores, cafes, and bistros catering to our eating needs when we are on the road, but, for the most part, Medieval/Viking Age travellers relied on their kit or the kindness of others.
During the expansion of the Rurikid dynasty, in which my series the Viking Trading Lands series takes place, settlements were few and far between. One could not always be assured of a friendly reception. Traders could call in on the people they knew in the settlement, as Sihtric does in Gorodok and Gnezdovo.
With so little available and all carried aboard, what were our crew's options:
Carry everything they needed. Utensil and cookware-wise this would be essential though the carrying of all one's foodstuff for a many-week journey would be impractical.
Rely on others. You could never be sure of what you could get, or if settlers would be willing to trade.
Foraging. The season would heavily influence what was available and being unfamiliar with the region would impact how successful your efforts might be.
In truth, it would be a combination of all three that would keep you fed for your journey.
The recipie below combines all three of these methods to deliver a foodstuff that is both full of energy and tasty recipe. There is a base recipe to which you can make additions based on your taste preferences and food availability.
Base ingredients (check)
(This will make 15 patties)
1 cup of oat bran (you can mix whatever grain/flour you have with you, some will be thirstier than others)
I cup of wholemeal flour
3/4 cup of milk to help combine (water if milk is unavailable). You may need to add more as this batter thickens upon standing.
3 eggs (additional milk, ale, or water if eggs are not available)
Salt and pepper (courtesy of Sihtric, our spice trader. If you have none, any spices on hand would enliven the dish)
A handful of whatever mix-ins you have*
butter or fat to cook with
Method
Combine flours.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk (or water and ale if substituting).
Combine wet ingredients into the flour and stir to combine. The mixture should be thick and gloopy. Too thin and it will not hold together. This mix will thicken upon standing (depending on the grain/flour used) do not be alarmed if you need to add more liquid.
*If you want to make both a sweet and savoury option, separate your batter now.
Mix in additions (nuts/fruit/herbs/veg) and spices as per the availability.
In a hot pan (griddle, BBQ, flat plate) melt some butter/fat until the pan glistens. Spoon amounts into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat, or until browned and shining with butter. Do not turn them excessively as they may fall apart.
Remove from pan, sprinkle with salt for savoury option, or drizzle with honey for sweetness, and serve immediately.
Note: these can be saved and eaten on the road. They will toughen up but are hardy foodstuffs easily held in the hand and stored in a (container) or sack.
*Mix-In suggestions
Any herbs you forage will add greenery and taste to the patties. Parsley, dill, chervil (similar to parsley but milder), chives, wild garlic, thyme, rosemary (sparingly), sage, coriander, and mustard leaf.
Vegetable mix-ins: onion, garlic, peas, wild cabbage, leek, or dried mushroom. Avoid vegetables that leech water as these will make the batter soggy.
Meat: smoked and dried meat is always a welcome addition to any provender. Even fresh meat can be used, including fish, so long as it is cooked and flaked into the mix.
For sweet options;
Fruit: berries always work. For best results us: bilberries (blueberries), raspberries, strawberries, cloudberries, blackberries, or cranberries. Dried fruit also works so long as it is cut into small pieces. Lacking this, fresh or shrivelled apples may be used, or stone fruit as foraged along the way.
Spices: if you are lucky enough to travel with a spice trader as we are on the Bhobain you might have access to: clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, or mace. Don't worry, the patties will still be delicious without this addition but they really do spice things up.
For sweetness: lacking the advent of sugar, honey lends it's golden sweetness to the dish. Honey could be transported in small crocks sealed with wax and doled out when needed. A lashing directly into the batter (and or layered on at the end) perks up the meal.
Nuts: Any nut available may be used, please crush them to texture preference. Commonly available nuts included walnuts and hazelnuts. Modern consumers may like to add pistachios fo their gorgeous hues of purple and green. Almonds and peanuts can also be used, broken into small chunks.
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