There are many examples of sausages being made, all over Europe, during the 14th century, so I must assume they were eaten in Scotland, as well. Tough cuts of meat can easily be chopped fine, seasoned, stuffed into hog casings, and smoked for longer storage. My husband entered such a sausage (redacted for an Upper Crust book project of a 14th century manuscript of a Neapolitan cookbook) in the 2005 Pentathlon, — and we have used the recipe, faithfully, since. It is a good basic formula, and adapts to variations in seasoning choices quite well. For this version, we chose seasonings found in a recipe from Lady Castlehill’s Receipt Book,
To Make my Lady Cartrets Sausages:
TAKE THE BELLY OF AN HOGG FAT AND LEAN, and cut it small with a knife, and when you have such a quantity as you desire, season it with some Salt Pepper, Nutemegs, Cloves and Mace, and so fill them into little Guts, thin scraped. You must put in a Pretty dale of Sage finely Chopt.
Also in 2005 Pentathlon, I entered two mustard recipes. One, a 16th century Pear Mustard, was made with ground mustard seed, wine, and pear preserves, and was meant as a condiment for dried cod, of which I am anxious to try the combination! But the second entry was a Lumbard Mustard, sweetened with honey, a 14th century recipe from France, but it was also made with wine — an expensive ingredient that would have to have been imported to Scotland.
I therefore turned, once again, to Lady Castlehill, to a recipe made with ale and apple cider vinegar, to accompany the (above) sausages:
To Make Mustard:
TAKE YOUR MUSTARD SEED, dry it, and pound it, then sift it through a fine sieve, then put to it some Beer, Vinegar and horseradish, a litle Pepper, & a litle salt put it in a stone bottle, and keep it close stopt.
And, just as the 2005 Pentathlon judges declared, my mustard and my husband’s sausage made the perfect marriage! Delicious!