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Farts of Portingale

Farts of Portingale (meatballs) on pewter plate in foreground. Wooden platter of a salad of leaves and rose petals in background with small wooden dish of dates to the right. Beige linen tablecloth. For Farts of Portingale recipe.

It is suggested that the somewhat indecent name for these little meatballs follows a 16th century habit of referring to food with playful or bawdy names.  Farts of Portingale (Portugal) were often sold to audience members in playhouses such as The Globe and The Rose in Southwark.  This recipe is based on that of Thomas Dawson in The Good Huswife’s Handmaide for the Kitchen of 1594.

Equipment

  • Weighing scales
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Frying pan
  • Plate
  • Kitchen paper

Preparation method

  • Place all the ingredients in the large mixing bowl and bring them together with your hands, massaging the spice, dried fruit and egg into the minced lamb until evenly incorporated.
  • Take enough of the mixture to roll into a ball (46g) and continue to create balls until all the mixture has been used up.  
  • Place the oil in the frying pan to a depth of about 5mm and heat until a piece of bread put into the oil sizzles and browns.  
  • Place the meatballs in the oil and fry, turning them regularly until all the sides are browned and they’re cooked through.  You will need to adjust the temperature so that the meatballs don’t brown too quickly before the inside is cooked.  You will also need to do this in batches depending on the size of your frying pan.  I can get about 6 into mine.  
  • When cooked place them to a plate lined with kitchen paper before transferring them to a serving dish.
  • Serve hot or cold.   

More Tudor savoury recipes
A delicate chewit
Chewets
Cock-a-leekie
Elizabethan rabbit pie
Hodgepot
Salmon in pastry with ginger and currants

Tudor

Serves:
16
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 100 g minced lamb
  • 1 tsp ground mace
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 30 g sultanas
  • 30 g Medjool dates, stoned and chopped
  • 200 g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • Groundnut oil for frying

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Farts of Portingale
Serving Size
 
48 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
146
Percent of Daily Value*
Fat
 
9.8
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
 
3.2
g
20
%
Cholesterol
 
30
mg
10
%
Sodium
 
152
mg
7
%
Potassium
 
89
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
8.4
g
3
%
Fiber
 
1.4
g
6
%
Sugar
 
2.4
g
3
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
Calcium
 
94
mg
9
%
Iron
 
1.2
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keywords

Dried fruit, Elizabethan, Minced lamb

© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2026
Illustrations by Chichi Parish
Site by Anselm Eustace