A Tansie for Lent is a traditional Stuart recipe (from Robert May's cookbook) for a classic dessert or snack of bitter herb fritters in an almond, fish roe and breadcrumb base that was traditionally served during Lent. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: A Tansie for Lent.
Take tansie and all manner of herbs as before, and beaten almond, stamp them with the spawn of pike or carp and strain them with the crumb of a fine manchet, sugar, and rose-water, and fry it in sweet butter.
Modern Redaction
This is a classic Stuart recipe for a lenten tansy made without eggs. Two very bitter herbs are used, tansy and featherfew (feverfew) in addition to sweeter parsley and violet leaves (these have little taste but are mucilaginous and act as a thickener).
This recipe really is bitter in flavour, especially to most modern tastes. I'm more used to bitter tastes than most, being used to West African food, but this dish is bitter, even to me.
The truth is that this recipe is a survivor of classic medieval lenten fare. These tansies were meant to be bitter, as it was thought they would drive out all the worms and fevers from the body after eating preserved food over winter. The bitterness of the herbs were also a lenten reminder of Christ's suffering.
Note that a few leaves of feverfew taken every day can help alleviate the symptoms of migraines, but that over-consumption of feverfew can lead to mouth ulceration in susceptible individuals.
It should also be noted that the name tansy for this dish and for the plant ultimately derived from the Ancient Greek athanatos (literally undying) and with the Easter association, this links with Christ's resurrection.
Ingredients:
1 tsp tansy, pounded to a paste
1 tsp feverfew, finely chopped (use only the young leaves of feverfew for this recipe)
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tbsp violet leaves, finely minced
2 tbsp violet flowers
60g almonds, beaten to a paste
100g fish roe
100g fine white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp rose water
60g butter, for frying
Method:
Beat almonds to a paste in a mortar (add a few drops of the rose water now and again to prevent the almonds from oiling). Pound in the fish roe and the remaining rose water then mix in the herbs before working in the breadcrumbs to a thick paste.
Melt the butter in a frying pan, shape the tansy mixture into patties, add to the butter and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve warm.
