the Cynaguan Culinary Guild

High German:

Ain esssen von besonderen farben
Jtem ain essen, das ain ýedes ain besondere farb hat,machs also, brat hiener an ainem
spisß vnnd steck die nit nachetzúsamen/ vnnd wan sý bratten seind, mach sechs farben, die
weisß machallso/ nimdas weisß von airen, thú ain wenig mell darein, mach ain tinnen taig/ jtem
braún mach also, nim weixlenlackwerin vnnd mach mit airen vnnd mell an ain braúnen taig/ das gelb
mach also, nim den totteren von oren, ain wenig schen mel, safferan/ vnnd .3. oder 4 air, daraús
mach ain taig, gren mach allso, nim petersillin, streich das dúrch ain túch mit airen, thú ain wenig
mell darzú/ mach ain taig, schwartz, nim mell vnnd air, mach aintaig daraús, thú gestossen negellen
darein, die jber nacht jn aúfgeschlagen airen gewaicht haben/ darein thú gnúg, so wirt es gút schwartz,
so dú die fúnff farb also gemacht hast,so begeúsß ain ýedlichs hún mit seiner farb vnnd hab acht,
das dú jm nit haisß thieest/ vnnd so es also daran trúcken wirt, so zeúch die hiener herab/
vnnd legs neben ain ander prattes aúf ein schissel.

(from: http://staff-www.uni-marburg.de/~gloning/sawe.htm )

Modern English:

 A dish in various colors
A dish, in which each part has a different color, is made like so: Roast chickens on a spit, but do not
put them too close together. And when they are roasted, make six colors, the white is made like so:
Take an egg white, put a little flour into it, make a thin batter. Brown is made like so: Take sour cherry
jam, make a brown batter with eggs and flour. The yellow make like so: Take egg yolks, some wheat flour,
saffron and three or four eggs, out of which make a batter. Green is made as follows: Take parsley, and
strain it together with eggs through a cloth, put flour with it and make a batter. Black, take flour and eggs,
make a paste out of it, put powdered cloves therein which have steeped overnight in beaten eggs, put
enough into it, so that it becomes truly black. When you have made the five colors after this fashion, then baste
each chicken with its color and take care that it is no longer too hot. And when the color is dry and
adheres, then draw the chickens off the spit and lay them next to the other roasted meats on a dish.

(from: http://www.best.com/~ddfr/Medieval/Cookbooks/Sabrina_Welserin.html )

Modern Recipe (work in progress):

Colored Chicken Dish

1. You must start the Black color the night before:
        Beat an egg with the ground cloves.
        Cover and store in the refridgerator overnight.

2. Remove stuff from inside the chickens.
    Rub the chickens inside and out with salt.
    Roast the chickens on a rack in a shallow pan in a 400 degree oven until done
             (about 1 1/2 hour for two birds at a time).
    Do not let them touch or they will stick together.
    Remove from oven and let cool.
   
3. White:
        In a small bowl, mix egg whites, slowly adding flour until of a thin batter consistancy.

4. Brown:
        In a small bowl, mix eggs and jam. Slowly mix in the flour until it's a thin batter.

5. Green:
        In a food processor, mix the parsley with some water to form a sludgy green paste.
        Using cheese cloth, press out all of the green liquid and mix the liquid with the eggs in a small bowl.
        Slowly mix in the flour until you have a thin batter.

6. Yellow:
        Soak the saffron strands in a tablespoon of HOT water to seep out color.
        Remove the individual strands and mix the yellow liquid with the egg yolk.
        In a small bowl mix the rest of the eggs with the egg liquid.
        Slowly mix in the wheat flour until you have a thin batter.

7. Black:
        Using the clove/egg mixture you started the night before, mix in the addidional eggs.
        Slowly mix in the flour until you have a thin batter

8. With oven at 325 degrees:
        Baste each chicken with a different color.
        Return them to the oven until the colors dry.
        Repeat the basting/drying until the chickens have taken your color.

Serve on a platter.

Serves 20

The original recipe calls for the roasting to be done on a spit, but for ease I used the oven.