Crisps and Fritters

Shrove Tuesday originated during the Middle Ages and is the day before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word 'Shriven' meaning to go to confession to say sorry for the wrong things you've done. Lent always starts on a Wednesday, so people went to confessions on the day before. This became known as Shriven Tuesday and then Shrove Tuesday.

As in contemporary times, food items like meats, fats, eggs, milk, and fish were regarded as restricted during Lent. To keep such food from being wasted, many families would have big feasts on Shrove Tuesday in order to consume those items that would inevitably become spoiled during the next forty days. The English tradition of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday came about as a way to use as much milk, fats, and eggs as possible before Ash Wednesday began. The specific custom of Christians eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates back to at least the 16th century. In France, the consumption of all fats and fatty foods on this day coined the name "Fat Tuesday" or Mardi Gras.

Crisps (Crispis, Crispellas) and Fritters are simply a variety of foods ranging from pancakes to fried dumplings (crepes, fritters, doughnuts, pancakes with garnish, filled dough). These were especially popular in Germany where they were known as krapfen. Simply put, crisps and fritters are fried. Listed below are several recipes that come from a variety of 14th and or 15th century sources.

These were popular dishes to serve with roasted meats. The fruit fillings go well with pork, especially.

Fried Dough

Cruste Rolle - dough is rolled and cut into lozenges, then fried, Lesenges (diamond shaped), Lorey pastries

Funnel Cakes

Cryppys - Honey Crisps - type of funnel cakes
Mynceleek in Anglo-Norman - type of funnel cake, Midtembec, Nysebek in the Forme of Cury,

Fritters made with Cheese

Fritelle da Imperadore Magnifici (Fritelle da Imperadore Magnifici) - Cheese & Pinenut Fritters (deep-fried)
Pipesfarces - Battered fried cheese. The Viandier serves them with crepes.
Smartard (cottage cheese fritters)

Fritters made with Fruit

Epffelbolster - Apple Pillows - Fried Battered Apples
Fritelle de Pome Per Quaresima - Apple Fritters for Lent
Frittelle di Pomi (apple fritters)
Frutours - Apple Fritters
To make formed fish during lent and also calf ears (apple pie in shape of fish or fried dough in shape of calf ears filled w/ apple mixture)

Fritters made with Dried Fruit & Nuts

Cuskynoles - pears, apples, dried fruit in pastry, boiled & griddle roasted
Frytour blaunched - almond filled pastry deep-fried & baked in honey & wine
Fritur Emeles - Fritters made with ground almonds
Ryschewys - There are several types of ryschewys, but these are basically deep-fried pastries with a filling of dried fruits and pine nuts. Nice accompaniment to roast pork.

Tourteletes in Frytour - small fig pies basted with honey

Meat-filled Fried Pastries

Hattes (fried meat, date & current stuffed pastry in the shape of a hat, fish version for Lent)
Rapeye - ravioli shaped pastries filled with a spiced dried fruit mixture which is then baked or fried. Rapeye can also be a dried fruit sauce served with meats or fish. There are also recipes for fried fish served in a dried fruit sauce.
Raynolle (pork & cheese fritters)
Nourroys Pies (Taillevent)

Savory Fritters

Frytour of Erbes - yeast battered, deep-fried herb fritters

Crespes (Crepes)