Whole Strawberry Fritters 1755

Large strawberries are coated in a batter of flour, egg whites, wine and oil, then fried, rolled in sugar and glazed (browned) with a salamander (broiler). John Nott had a delicious fried beet recipe with a wine batter from 1723.


Strawberry Fritters.
"Having made a batter with flour, a spoonful of sweet oil, another of white wine, a little rasped lemon-peel, and the whites of two or three eggs, make it pretty soft, so as just to drop with a spoon. Mix it with some large strawberries, and drop them with a spoon into the hot fritters. When they are of a good colour, take them out, and drain them on a sieve. When they are done, strew some sugar over them, and glaze them." [Davey, 1755]

Glaze: ”strew some sugar over a dish, and set it on the fire; lay in the fritters, strew a little sugar over them, and glaze them over with a red-hot salamander.”  German fritters with apples [Mason, 1801]

Salamandar 1863

My interpretation: 2 egg whites, 1T wine, 1T oil and add flour to make pancake style batter (about 1/2 C). Drop cleaned, stemed and dried medium or large strawberries into batter and fry in hot lard or oil. Take out and put on rack. Roll in sugar then glaze with salamandar, hot shovel or broiler.

SOURCES
Davey, P.  Cookery reformed; or, The Lady’s assistant. London: 1755
Francatelli, Charles Elme. The cook's guide, and housekeepers and butler's assistant. London: 1863. Salamandar image
Mason, Charlotte, The Lady’s Assistant. London: 1801. German Fritters (apples)
John F. Francis, American, 1808-1886.  Dessert still Life. 1855. Yale University Art Gallery

©2020 Patricia Bixler Reber
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