Writings: Katira al-Maghrebiyya (aka Kay the Innocent of Bel Anjou)

Silver Spoon
Category: Candy
Mists Fall Investiture A.S. XXXIV
Recipe: Candied Orange Peel
Entrant: Kay the Innocent of BelAnjou

Documentation
Source: The Medieval Kitchen by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban and Silvano Serventi, translated by Edward Schneider. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Original Recipe: Fourteenth Century, Le Menagier de Paris, Candied Orange Rind(Orengat) 265

To make orengat, cut the peel of an orange into five segments and, with a knife, scrape off the white pith that is inside, Then soak them in nice, fresh water for nine days, and change the water every day: then boil them in fresh water until it comes to the boil, then spread them on a cloth and let them dry thoroughly: then put them in a pot with enough honey to cover them completely, and boil over a low fire, and skim it: and when you think that the honey is done (to see if it is done, put some water into a bowl and drop into that water a drop of the honey, and if it spreads it is not cooked: and if that drop of honey holds its shape in the water without spreading, it is done): then, remove your orange peel, and make a layer of it and sprinkle ginger powder on top, then another layer, and sprinkle, etc., ad infinitum: leave for a month or longer before eating.

It is noted that a century later Nostradamus indicated a choice of honey or sugar and by the mid-sixteenth century, "the crystallized juice of the cane plant--sugar--had conquered all of Europe".

Source: Tournaments Illuminated, Issue 116, Liqueurs Made by Infusion with a Period Candy Recipe Thrown in for Good Measure, by Henry Marks.
He notes that recipes for candied orange peel appear in W.I. Gent's A true Gentlewoman's Delight (1653), Elinor Fettiplace's Recipt Book (1609), and John Murrell's A Daily exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen (1617). His comments indicate that they all use sugar for the candying. They differ only in minor ways from the earlier version (soaking fewer days, changing water more often, cutting in smaller pieces). One uses sugar to coat before drying (the other two use nothing)).
It appears that along with the change to sugar from honey, ginger was no longer used to flavor the candied peel. Because of this and because I don't like a strong ginger flavor, I have chosen to use sugar throughout the recipe, but I did coat some of the candied peel with ginger powder for a taste test and it wasn't half bad. None of it is part of the entry because the peel of that batch wasn't properly candied (see note at end).

Recipe: Candied Orange Peel

4 large navel oranges
2 1/2 cups sugar
sugar for coating
2 cups water
ginger for coating (optional)

Peel the oranges, keeping the peel in long strips about an 1 inch wide. Trim off the white pith. Soak in water for 5 to 9 days, changing the water twice a day. Drain the peel strips. Scrape off any remaining white pith. Put the peel in fresh water in a pan and boil for 2 minutes, then drain. Put sugar and water in pan and make a sugar syrup. Add the peel to the pan and simmer about 40 minutes. As the syrup begins to get very thick, remove the peel and toss with sugar (or ginger). Dry well and store in airtight container. Aging is good but not necessary.

The batch you are tasting was made in February from oranges left over from the Wargy. And to be honest, I did many batches, but only one really worked. If you don't boil it long enough, the peel doesn't completely candy and doesn't retain a pleasant texture as it completely dries. I thought I had made a mistake when the sugar syrup thickened and I could barely remove the pieces from the pan, but it soon became clear that this batch was what I really wanted.

Last updated 01/03/2007