A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents
Medieval Recipe Translations

Blaunche escrepes

PERIOD: England, 13th century | SOURCE: B. L. Additional 32085 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: White crepes or pancakes


2. Blaunche escrepes. E une autre viaunde, ke ad a noun blaunche escrepes. Pernez fleur demeyne e blaunc de l'oef, e festes bature, ne mye trop espesse, e metez du [vin]; pus pernez une esquele e festes un pertuz parmy; e puys pernez bure, ou oile, ou gresse; e puys metez vos quartres deis dedenez la bature pur hastir; e puys pernez cel bature e metez de dunz une esquele, e festes culer parmy cel pertuz dedenz la gresse; e puys festes une escrepe, e puys une autre, e metez vostre dei denz le pertuz de l'esquele; e puys jettez sucre desus les crespes, e dressez celes escrespes od les poumes de oranges.


2. White pancakes. Here is another dish, which is called white pancakes. Take best white flour and egg white and make batter, not too thick, and put in some wine; then take a bowl and make a hole in it; and then take butter, or oil, or grease; then put your four fingers in the batter to stir it; take the batter and put it in the bowl and pour it through the hole into the (hot) grease; make one pancake and then another, putting your finger in the opening of the bowl; then sprinkle the pancakes with sugar, and serve with the "oranges."

- Hieatt, Constance B. and Robin F. Jones. "Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections Edited from British Library Manuscripts Additional 32085 and Royal 12.C.xii." Speculum vol. 61, issue 4 (Oct. 1986): 859-882.


  • white flour
  • egg whites
  • white wine
  • pinch salt
  • butter or oil
  • sugar

Beat the egg whites until fluffy; beat in enough flour to make a slightly thick batter. Beat in enough wine to thin the batter to a medium consistency, the same as for modern pancake batter. Add a pinch of salt.

In a large skillet or pan, heat the oil or butter.

The medieval recipe has the batter being dropped into the hot oil by use of an improvised funnel, a bowl with a hole in the bottom, the flow controlled by the fingers. You may feel free to use whatever method of making pancakes that you're familiar or comfortable with: ladling from a bowl, pouring from a pitcher, using a modern pancake batter dispenser, etc. Make as many pancakes as your batter will allow, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Turn the pancake to cook both sides, being careful that, like modern crepes, they stay as white as possible.

When done, sprinkle with sugar and serve with Poume d'oranges.


A Boke of Gode CookeryMedieval Recipe Translations

Blaunche escrepes © 2003 James L. Matterer

Medieval Recipe Translations
