Just for Fun.

Today, purely for fun, I give you this satirical bill of fare, found in a nineteenth century journal, found in turn via the wonderful Google Books resource. I give it as it is spelled and numbered.

A BURLESQUE BILL OF FARE.

From MS.Ashmole (Oxford), No. 826, fol.179

A BILL OF FARE SENT TO BANKES Y^e VINTNER IN CHEAPE SIDE IN MAY, 1637

Imps. 4 ffancies, 2 boyld and 2 rosted.
2. A large dish of carrett doucets.
3. 4 dysshes of andyrons.
4. 6 pelican chickins.
5. Six birds of paradice.
6. Two phœnxes, a cock and a hen.
7. Four pair of elephants pettitoes.
8. A green dragon springcock.
9. A rhinocerus boyld in alligant.
10. A calves head boyled wth a pudding in y^e belly.
11. A sowced owle.
12. A dish of Irish hartshorne, boyled to a jelly.
13. 4 golden horseshooes disolv’d through a woodcocks bill.
14. Sixe tame lyons in greene sawce.
15. A lyons chyne.
16. A haunch of a beare larded.
17. A whole horse sowced after y^e Russian fashion.
18. 12 sucking puppies of a Capadocian bitch.
19. 6 dozen of ostriges rosted.
20. A leg of an eagle carbonadoed.
21. The pluck of a grampus stewed.
22. An apes tayle in sippitts.
23. Two she beares served up whole.
24. Foure black swans, 2 in a dish.
25. 2 dozen of white blackbirds, 6 in a dish
26. A large dish of cuckow twinckles.
27. Two cocatrices and 3 baboones boyled.
28. Two dryed salamanders.
29. A dish of modicumes boyld in barbary viniger.
29. The jole of a whale butterd in barbary viniger.
30. A grosse of canary birds rosted.
31. A shole of red herrings w^th bells about their necks.
32. Two porpoises pickled.
33. Two porcupines parboyld.
34. Two dozen of Welshambassodars.
35. A dish of bonitoes, currflying fishes with sorrel sopps.

SECOND COURSE

1. A West Indian Cheese.
2. A hundred of cacus nutts.
3. A dish of pyne apples.
4. 6 pompions quodled.
5. A dish of puffes
6. A tame panther, swimming inwhite broth.
7. A crocadill baked in a pye, looking out of y^e lid and laughing at y^e company.

I have no idea about the authenticity of this manuscript, but assume that the learned gentlemen who contributed to the Retrospective Review in 1853 would vouch for it. It is now on my list of Interesting Things to Investigate.

There is an apocryphal story around this time of a man called Bankes (or Banks) who owned a dancing horse shoed with silver and who may have been a vintner. Perhaps it is he? A large part of the satirical fun is lost if you dont know the story behind the satirical story. If you do know it, please do tell us all in the comments, or email me if you would prefer.

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It's important to watch what you eat. Otherwise, how are you going to get it into your mouth ? Matt Diamond.