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== Fish Dishes ==
Big aristocratic banquets often lasted for at least a few days. Considering the frequency of lean (fasting) days (every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), there was no way for the feat not to overlap with a lean day. On such days the menu was modified to include fish, but no meat of any land animals. This why ''Compendium Ferculorum'' has an entire chapter devoted exclusively to fish dishes. The banquet in ''Pan Tadeusz'' is condensed to just one day, but the menu contains both meat and fish items. You may have already notice noticed that of the two soups, one was meat-based while the other was a fish soup. So let's continue with this convention and have one fish dish to every meat serving on our menu. And, since the poet devoted more attention to fish, let's start with this.
{{ Cytat
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Some of the species here are further subdivided according to age and size. In traditional Polish terminology, the pike, for example, ranges from the ''obłączka'' (smallest) to ''szczupak półmiskowy'' ("platter-sized"), ''szczupak łokietny'' ("cubit-long"), ''szczupak podgłówny'' ("sub-main") to ''szczupak główny'' ("main", the largest). These terms used to have their equivalents in Englishtoo: gilthed, hurling pick, pickerel, pike and luce.
So we've got quite a few fish species, but what about fish dishes? Here Mickiewicz was somewhat less specific. He did mention one delicacy, though, which was served at the end of the dinner as the master chef's ''pièce de résistance''.
| źródło = A. Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book XII, verses 152–154}}
Obviously, that's the second "secret" from the ''Compendium''. This one, for a "whole, uncut fish, cooked in three ways", except that in Czerniecki's actual recipe it was the middle that was boiled, the head was fried and the tail, roasted.<ref>S. Czerniecki, ''op. cit.'', [https://polona.pl/item/compendium-fercvlorvm-albo-zebranie-potraw,MzQ5MDIzMw/78 s. 67]</ref> Not just any fish will do here. It must be both appropriately dignified and long, which means a mature pike is the best choice. The trick is rather simple: all you need to do is to spit-roast the fish over low-burning coals. The part that's meant to be boiled must be wrapped in cloth that is constantly doused with salted water with vinegar. The part that's supposed to be fried is basted with oil and sprinkled with flour. And the part that's meant to be roasted is roasted. And here's the full recipe as written by Czerniecki:
[[File:Szczuka całkiem nierozdzielna 2.jpg|thumb|left|The fried part of the pike being sprinkled with bread crumbs]]
{{ Cytat
| Take a pike, as large as you wantwish, remove the scales near the head and tail, but leave them in the middle. Gut it and impale on a spit. Wrap a piece of cloth around the middle part with the scales and secure with strings. Dampen the cloth with salted wine vinegar. Salt the head and the tail as well, and turn the spit over low flame. Keep the vinegar boiling in a clay pot and pour it often often on the cloth. Baste the head early on with oil or butter, sprinkle with wheat flour and repeat this several times so that keep it frying. And when the tail starts to brown, then baste it too, but don't sprinkle with flour. And when you deem the fish done, remove it from the spit and unwrap the cloth. You will have a pike that is fried, boiled and roasted.
| oryg = Weźmij szczukę jako wielką chcesz, ogól trochę od głowy, w środku zostaw łuskę, od ogona też trochę ogól; spraw, natknij na rożen mięsny. Ten środek z łuską obwiń chustą, a obwiąż sznurkami, zmaczawszy tę chustę w occie winnym osolonym. Potrząśnij też solą głowę i ogon, a przyłóż do wolnego ognia, piecz i obracaj. Miej ocet winny solony w rynce [tj. glinianym rondelku] przy ogniu, który by wrzał, a polewaj nim często chustę, którąś obwinął szczukę. Głowę też wcześnie pozynguj oliwą albo olejem, albo masłem, a potrząśnij trochę mąką pszenną i drugi raz, i trzeci raz to czyń, to się smażyć będzie. A ogon na ostatku, gdy się rumienić pocznie, pozynguj także, czym chcesz, ale mąką nie potrząsaj. A gdy rozumiesz, że już gorąco, zdejmij z rożna, chustę odwiń. Będziesz miał szczukę smażoną, warzoną i pieczoną.
| źródło = S. Czerniecki, ''op. cit.'', [https://polona.pl/item/compendium-fercvlorvm-albo-zebranie-potraw,MzQ5MDIzMw/78 s. 67–68], own translation }}
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Mickiewicz only used the pike in saffron sauce in a simile, without paying any more attention to it, but in Old Polish times it was one of the nobility's favourite fish-based specialities. SaffronAnd saffron, in general, was one of their favourites fave seasonings; Czerniecki even described Polish cookery as "saffrony and peppery".<ref>S. Czerniecki, ''op. cit.'', [https://polona.pl/item/compendium-fercvlorvm-albo-zebranie-potraw,MzQ5MDIzMw/20 s. 9]</ref> But since we've already used the pike in the previous dish, let's now have salmon instead, which – again, according to Czerniecki – "is in our Poland of the most subtle flavour." Salmon in "royal saffron sauce" is the first opening recipe in the second chapter of the ''Compendium'''s second chapter.
{{ Cytat
| Take a salmon, gut it and remove the scales, cut out the backbone, impale the steaks on pins. Dice and julienne some parsley roots. Boil it all in a cauldron with a good amount of salt. And once it is done, remove from the flame, strain, wash away the salt. And , just before serving , add any kind of coulis [i.e., thick vegetable sauce] you have, wine, a little wine vinegar, sugar to taste, pepper, saffron, cinnamon, large raisins and a sliced lime. Boil some more and taste; if not salty enough, you may add some of the broth that you cooked the salmon in.
| oryg = Weźmij łososia, oczesz, zrysuj, grzbiet wyjmij, dzwona na szpilki włóż. Pietruszki w kostkę i wzdłuż nakraj. Wstaw w kotle, zasoliwszy dobrze. A gdy dowiera, zdejmij z ognia. Tę polewkę odlej osobno, co łosoś wrzał, przelej wodą, żebyś sól spłukał. A gdy masz dawać, wlej gąszcz [tj. przecier warzywny], jaki masz, wlej wina, octu winnego trochę, cukru według smaku, pieprzu, szafranu, cynamonu, rożenków wielkich, limonii w talarki. Przywarzaj a kosztuj, a jeżeli trzeba przydać soli, tedy onej polewki, w której wrzał łosoś, przylewaj według smaku.
| źródło = S. Czerniecki, ''op. cit.'', [https://polona.pl/item/compendium-fercvlorvm-albo-zebranie-potraw,MzQ5MDIzMw/57 s. 46], own translation
