Dodo Stoofpot
(a 17th century recipe for disaster
from a Dutch sailor’s diary)



Pluck the plumage. Brine the game.
Souse the rump and score the breast.
Stoke the embers. Fan the flame.
Spritz the flesh with lemon zest.
Season with a feather hand –
Flightless fowls are never bland.

Bubble oil till Hades-hot.
Bone and bind. When stuffed and trussed,
Sizzle in the smoking pot.
Sear the skin to form a crust.
Braise and baste this lush, nutritious,
Moreish manna from Mauritius.

Glaze it with a splash of this.
Garnish with a sprig of that.
Serve it in a jus of bliss.
Shoo away the galley cat.
Feast and quaff and feast some more –
This island’s rife with birds galore!

Susan Jarvis Bryant

If you have any thoughts about this poem, Susan Jarvis Bryant   would be pleased to hear them