Renaissance Leach Recipes

Enjoy Authentic Medieval Leaches Perfect For Your Next Theme Party

Renaissance leach recipes were very popular in the 1600s. Don't worry, I am referring to "leaches" not "leeches" -- big difference!

Leach was a common medieval confection consisting of a thick, jelly-like preserve set hard enough to slice for serving.

For serving, leaches were often shaped or molded into fancy, traditional shapes such as hearts, diamonds, cubs, spades, or crescent moons. This made them very decorative when displayed on a fine, silver tray at banquets.

This chewy sweetmeat was often made using almonds and various all-natural fruit flavorings. Some leaches were like fruit leathers, and some might have been similar to today's popular gummy worm candies in chewiness and texture.

These Renaissance leach recipes are worth trying. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I was very fond of nibbling on leaches, especially if they were very sweet and chewy. You will love them too.

If you have difficulty reading the Early-Modern-English style of writing, or you need to shed light on any outdated ingredient names and cooking terms used in the Renaissance dessert recipes, please refer to...

The Renaissance Dessert Recipes Glossary

To make Leach and to colour it

Take one Ounce of Ifinglafs and lay it in Water four and twenty hours, changing Water three or four times, then take a quart of new Milk, boiled with a little fliced Ginger and a ftick of Cinamon, one fpoonful of Rofewater, and a quarter of a Pound of Sugar, when it hath boiled a while, put in the Ifinglafs, and boil it till it be thick, keeping it always ftirring, then ftrain it, and keep it ftirring, and when it is cold, you may flice it out, and ferve it upon Plates, you may colour it with Saffron, and fome with Turnfole, and lay the White and that one upon another, and cut it, and it will look like Bacon; it is good for weak people, and Children that have the Rickets.

To make white Leach

Take fweet Almonds blanched and beaten with Rofewater, then ftrained with fair water, wherein hath been boiled Anifeeds and Ginger, put to it as much cream, wherein pure Ifinglafs hath been boiled, as will make it ftiff, and as much Sugar as you pleafe; let it be fcalding hot, then run it through a ftrainer, and when it is cold, flice it out, it is very good for a weak body.

To make Red Leach or Yellow

Red by putting Tornfel into it, or Cochineal; Yellow by putting Saffron in it.

Cinamon or Ginger Leach

Take your Spices beaten and fearced, and mix them with your fearced Sugar, mould them up with Gum Arabick infufed in Rofewater, and fo print them and dry them.

To make Leach of Dates

Take your Dates ftoned and peeled very clean within, beat them fine with Sugar, Ginger, and Cinamon, and a little Rofewater till it will work like Pafte, then print them and keep them dry.