On Fri, 17 May 1996, John Symonds popped this note along to me. As 
   this was some time ago, I must bow my head again for being tardy in 
   making it available for others. Many apologies. Comments on stargazey pie, 
   likky pie, hoggan and syllabub are included plus recipes for the latter.
 
   All additional comments, yarns and the like will be as equally 
   appreciated. Many thanks to John.


   Book cited:
       Cornwall and its People
       A.K. Hamilton Jenkin
       ISBN: 0-7153-9126-7
       Copyright and publishing information 



Subject: Cornish Tales and Recipes

Dear Diane,

I have been reading again the book by A.K. Hamilton Jenkin, _Cornwall 
and its People_. It gives me great delight; if you have never read it, 
try it. So this is a message, spinning yarns and retelling recipes, 
provoked by Mr. Jenkin! Apart from the book as a whole, the chapter "Food 
- Ordinary and Extraordinary" is surely a must for those interested in 
Cornish food. Let me start with starry-gazy pie, as a yarn spinner.

   "A stranger on one occasion eating starry-gazy pie is said to have 
    exclaimed at the hardness of the fish's backbone.  'Let me see, my 
    dear!' cried the woman, coming forward to the table, 'why, that edn' 
    no fish bone at all. That's our little Johnny's hair comb, what he 
    lost two days ago - careless little emp!"

But over page we see:

   "Leek or, as it is generally called, 'likky' pie is a dish which still
    remains a prime favourite in the Duchy.  Formerly, in order to give 
    this pie sufficient 'body' for hungry men, it was the practice to line
    as well as cover the dish in which it was made with pastry. When nearly 
    cooked as small hole is broken into the top crust, and through this is 
    poured an egg which quickly cooks in the steaming contents.  Served thus,
    'likky' pie is food fit for a king and, as some say, is preferred by 
    Cornish saints to ambrosia of heaven!"

Maybe the dough which was left over made "the 'hoggan'" or lump of unleavened
dough, in which was embedded a morsel of green pork. This fare, although
heavy enough to kill anyone who had not been inured to it from early youth,
long remained general among miners. For as Mr. Herbert Thomas has expressed
it in his well-known song:

   'Aw, you don't want fancy denners when you're sweaten bare your bones,
    An' feel as ef you could digest a barraful of stones,
   'Tes for somethin' braave and solid that you knaw your sperit groans
    And a hoggan still stull tember you could chow, comraade!'"

But the dough could be for bread. "Bread backed on the open hearth either
took the form of 'kettle' loaves or of 'manshuns' (French manchet). On one
occasion, many years since, Billy Bray, the famous miner evangelist, was
preaching at the Wesleyan Chapel at St Ives.  The verse chosen for his text
was the one beginning: 

    'In my Father's house are many mansions'.
    'Just think of that, my friends,' exclaimed the preacher, beating the 
     pulpit with great earnestness - 'no moore bearly bread up theer, no 
     moore sky-blue and sinker, but pure wheaten manshuns for one and 
     all, once we get up Faather's house.'  

Novel as was this interpretation of the Scriptures, it was accepted with all
seriousness by the greater part of the congregation in whose minds it created
a vivid picture of the plenitude of Heaven."

In the chapter "The Rural Calendar" comes my original reason for writing
this epistle. After describing the observances of May Day in Old Cornwall
and stressing that it ranked only in importance second to Christmas and
Midsummer, Jenkin goes on to describe the cavortings in Penzance a century
ago following which refreshments were taken. 

    "The refreshments as supplied within living memory by farmers in the 
     Looe district consisted, in addition to junket, of metheglin (mead), 
     sloe and elderberry wine, milk, and that 'rare but now unknown dainty
     "Whipped syllabub under the Cow"'. " 

Reading this I must take Mr. Jenkin's contributor to "Hone's Every Day Book" 
to task. Syllabub is not unknown and rates two laudatory comments in our 
Australian _Good Housekeeping Family Cookbook_ and is known to my wife as a 
fine dessert. So here they are for you:

   SYLLABUB (pictured in the book)

    "This old English [substitute Cornish!] sweet was traditionally made with
     milk straight from the cow poured from a height over wine, cider or ale;
     this gave a frothy mixture, which was sweetened to taste and flavoured 
     with spices and spirit. Here are two modern recipes: the first tends 
     to separate out, which is quite normal, but this does not happen with 
     the second recipe, as it is a richer mixture.

     RECIPE I
    
     2 egg whites                1/2 pint of double cream, whipped
     4 oz. caster sugar          Crystallised lemon slices or juice of a 
                                    half lemon                      
     chopped nuts to decorate    1/4 pint sweet white wine

     Whisk the egg whites very stiffly and fold in the sugar, lemon juice, 
     wine and cream. Pour the mixture into individual glasses and chill for 
     several hours before serving. Decorate with the lemon slices or nuts.


     RECIPE II

     Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon      2 tbsps. sherry
     3 oz. caster sugar                    1/2 pint double cream, whipped
     1/2 tbsps. brandy

     Soak the lemon rind in the juice for 2-3 hours, then add sugar, 
     brandy and sherry. Add this mixture gently to the whipped cream, 
     until it is all evenly blended. Pile into glasses and chill.


If that doesn't satisfy your members, there are another two recipe variants
later in the book. Both have a higher quantity of white wine, sherry and
brandy and said members will certainly be sated after a glass (or two) of
this mixture. One is classed as "solid" and the other as "separated" and is,
"The lightest of traditional sweets, which can be made well in advance."

How you handle this "spinning of yarns" I must leave to you but I am sure
that Mr. Jenkin would approve of the "spin". I hope you do too!  Indeed, it
is a rather long epistle!!

Happy recipe hunting and best wishes
John Symonds