g.

[4] Excellent formula for fish in white wine, resembling
our ways of making this fine dish.

This again illustrates the laconic style of the ancient
author. He omitted to say that the fish, when cooked,
was placed on the service platter and that the juices
remaining in the sauce pan were tied with one or two egg
yolks, diluted with cream, or wine, or _court bouillon_,
strained and poured over the fish at the moment of
serving. This is perhaps the best method of preparing
fish with white meat of a fine texture. Pink or darker
fish do not lend themselves to this method of
preparation.

[139] SMELT PIE, OR, SPRAT CUSTARD
_PATINA DE ABUA SIVE APUA_ [1]

BONELESS PIECES OF ANCHOVIES OR [other small] FISH, EITHER ROAST
[fried] BOILED, CHOP VERY FINE. FILL A CASSEROLE GENEROUSLY WITH THE
SAME [season with] CRUSHED PEPPER AND A LITTLE RUE, ADD SUFFICIENT
BROTH AND SOME OIL, AND MIX IN, ALSO ADD ENOUGH RAW EGGS SO THAT THE
WHOLE FORMS ONE SOLID MASS. NOW CAREFULLY ADD SOME SEA-NETTLES BUT
TAKE PAIN THAT THEY ARE NOT MIXED WITH THE EGGS. NOW PUT THE DISH INTO
THE STEAM SO THAT IT MAY CONGEAL [but avoid boiling] [2]. WHEN DONE
SPRINKLE WITH GROUND PEPPER AND CARRY INTO THE DINING ROOM. NOBODY
WILL BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT HE IS ENJOYING [3].

[1] Tac., Tor. _sic_. List., G.-V. _p. de apua sine
apua_--a dish of anchovies (or smelts) without
anchovies. Tor. formula bears the title _patina de
apua_, and his article opens with the following
sentence: _patin de abua sive apua sic facies_. He is
therefore quite emphatic that the dish is to be made
with the _abua_ or _apua_ (an anchovy) and not without
_apua_, as List. has it. Lan. calls the dish: P. _de
apabadiade_, not identified.

[2] Tor. _impones ad uaporem ut cum ouis meare
possint_--warning, get along with the eggs, i.e. beware
of boiling them for they will curdle, and the experiment
is hopelessly lost. List. however, reads _meare possint_
thus: _bullire p._--boil (!) It is quite plain that Tor.
has the correct formula.

[3] _et ex esu nemo agnoscet quid manducet._ Dann.
renders this sentence thus: "Nobody can value this dish
unless he has partaken of it himself." He is too
lenient. We would rather translate it literally as we
did above, or say broadly, "And nobody will be any the
wiser." List. dwells at length upon this sentence;