Here’s a recipe that was apparently popular enough that it was copied almost verbatim in several 18th century cook books. It’s a recipe for fritters. A fritter, also occasionally called a fraze, was a fried pastry, like a doughnut. They were either skillet fried or deep fried. The batter could be thin or thick — more like a dough. This particular recipe was exquisitely simple, calling for only four to five ingredients.

Here is Hannah Glasse’s copy from the 1774 edition of her cookbook, The Art of Cookery.

Here is our adaptation, changing a few things up where necessary, but staying well within period-correct methods and techniques:

Hasty Fritters

Ingredients:
1 – 12oz. bottle of any Light* Ale or Hard Apple Cyder
approximately 2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 – 1/3 cups Zante Currants or 1 Apple (diced) or both

About 2-lbs Lard (or or other fat**, e.g., shortening or vegetable…