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Verjuice

Verjuice is a traditional Medieval recipe for preparing the sour fruit extract (literally green juice) from crab apples or immature grapes that was a common souring agent from the 14th to the 18th centuries. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Medieval version of: Verjuice.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : British RecipesEnglish Recipes

This was such a common ingredient, in use from the 1300 to the 18th century that few recipes survive. Really it was a byproduct of wine and cider making; the raw (green) juice before fermentation that everyone knew how to make it and what it was. Though now it's an ingredient, in the West at least, almost lost to history. It is, however, still used in Middle Eastern cookery and you can buy it commercially in Middle Eastern stores. Verjuice was, really, a cheaper sour ingredient used instead of vinegar; so don't think fruit juice. To make it you really need sour crab apples or small, sour, white grapes.

One recipe I do have is from the Stuart period, To make Verjuyce where the verjuice is made from windfall crab apples, simply pressed in a cider press.

Here I'm using my new juicer to make verjuice from crab apples and sour grapes (I managed to get really tart unripe white grapes from a friend's allotment) to make crab apple verjuice, white grape verjuice and a blend.

Ingredients:

1kg crab apples or sour white grapes
sodium metabisulphite (campden tablet)

Method:

Just as in making wine, ensure that all the equipment you'll be using has been sterilized, which will minimise fermentation and reduce the chance of bacterial contamination.

Pick over the fruit and remove any that are bruised or blemished. Wash well, dry, chop coarsely then feed them into your juicer or press and extract the juice.

If you don't want the juice to ferment add sodium metabisulphite (campden tablet) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

You can now bottle and it will keep in the refrigerator for 2 months. If you want to store it outside the refrigerator then bottle and pasteurise for 20 minutes at 72C.