Cockatrice

The Cockatrice (or Cockagrice or Cokentrice) is an entirely mythical beast, said to be like a bird's body with a serpent's tail, and able to kill just by looking. This did not prevent medieval kitchens from cooking them, by sewing together the front end of a fowl with the back end of a pig (Cury 1390, Austin 1440)


Cockatrice
Image: Unknown


An attempt to prepare a Cockatrice from this receipt
Image: Unknown

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Original Receipt in the 15th Century 'Austin Manuscripts' (Austin 1440)

Cokentrice. Scald a capon clen, & smite them in-to the wast oueretwarde, and scaude a pygge, and draw him, & smite him in the same maner; and then sewe the forthyr parte of the capon and the hyndyr parte of the pygge to-gedrys, and the forther parte of the pygge and the hynder parte of the capon to-gedyr: then draw the whyte & the yolkes of eggs, and cast thereto, and svette of a schepe, and saffron, & salt, and pouudre of gynger, and grated bread; and medle a to-gedre wit thyn honde, and putt it in the cokentrice, and putt it on a spite, and roste them; and endore them with yolkes of eggs, and pouudre of gynger, and saffron, & ioiss of persely or malves, & draw them, and endore them a abowte in euery perty of him.

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The Cockatrice
from Conway's 'Demonology and Devil-lore'