Figen at steege [To Fry Figs] Redaction
Koge Bog [Danish Cookbook]

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Figen at steege

from "Koge Bog", 1616, whose title page and its translation follows:

Koge Bog:
Indeholdendis
et hundrede fornødene stycker/
Som ere/om Brygning/Bagning/
Kogen/Brændevijn oc Miød at bere-
de/saare nytteligt vdi Husz
holdning/&c.
Som tilforn icke paa vort Danske
Sprock vdi Tryck er vdgaaen.
Prentet i Kiøbenhaffn/Aff
Salomone Sartorio/1616. 		Cook book:
Containing
A hundred useful pieces,
Which are about brewing, baking,
Cooking, aquavit and mead to make,
As is useful in house
Holding &c.
Which before not in our Danish
Language is issued in print.
Printed in Copenhagen, by
Salomone Sartorio, 1616.

The recipe and its translation follows:

LIX. Figen at steege.
Hack Figen vel smaa/oc stød dem i en Morter/giff støt eller reffuet Huedebrød der iblant/oc meng det vel sammen/oc giff der iblant adskillige Kryder. Tag det nu aff Morteren/oc bred det smuck vd paa en reen Bred/iij. Fingersbred tyckt/stick der igiennem et Spid/oc foruar at det icke falder aff/leg det paa en reen Rist til Ilden/oc lad saa steegis: Eller oc paa et Bradespid/oc ofuergyd det/mens det steegis/met Bomolie. Naar det er steegt saa giff det op/oc bestrø det met Caneel. 		LIX. To fry figs.
Chop the figs finely, and crush them in a mortar. Add crushed or grated wheat bread into it and mix it well together and give thereto several spices. Take it now from the mortar and spread it nicely out on a clean board iij fingers’ breadth thick. Push through a skewer and take care that it doesn’t fall off. Put it on a clean skillet on the fire and let it fry. Or on a broadspit and pour over it while it is frying olive oil. When it is fried serve it up and sprinkle it with cinnamon.

Redaction by Magdalena Gdanska, Oct 14th, 2006

My thoughts and questions:  the fresh figs I found were not only expensive but old looking and not very appetising. I bought two bags of dried figs. Because they were dried it was hard to mash them so I added some warm liquid.  Some of the skins seemed extra tough so I picked the pieces out of the mash.  Spices - not specified so use those you like.

I patted the fig and bread crumb mixture out to, I'm guessing, a little more than 1/4" but not 1/2". The mixture will fall apart if too thin. I rolled it on wax paper. The mixture will fall apart when you try to lift it off of the paper if it is rolled too thin. I cut the mixture in strips three fingers wide, then cut them into more managable pieces, approx. 3 inches long, and pan fried in a good layer of cooking oil. You need oil or your "figs" will stick.

I fried one side until I saw them begin to brown around the edges, then flipped them over. I fried the second side another 2-3 minutes. I didn't count how many I got from my recipe but they were used as a side at meal serving 6 people and there were a few left.

Magdalena Gdanska