Fairy tales -- Germany -- Translations into English
But the goose Mimi came to him and, after enquiring the cause of his
sorrow, said: “Dry your tears, for I think I can help you in this
matter. This dish was frequently set upon my father’s table and I know
pretty well how it was concocted. Even if I cannot tell you every
single ingredient, you will no doubt flavour the pie so deliciously
that the Prince will not detect any omission.”
She then proceeded to name to the dwarf the various ingredients
required.
He was ready to jump for joy, and blessed the day upon which he had
purchased the goose, and then set to work to make the pasty.
He made a little trial one to begin with and it tasted delicious. He
gave the head cook a piece to taste and he could not say enough in
praise of it.
The following morning he made a large one and sent it to table
decorated with wreaths of flowers. He dressed himself in his state
robes and entered the dining hall just as the carver had served the
Duke and his guest with slices of the pasty.
The Duke took a large mouthful and then cast his eyes up towards the
ceiling. “Ah!” said he, as soon as he could speak, “this has been
truly called the queen of pasties, and as for my cook, he is the king
of cooks. What say you, dear friend?”
The guest took one or two mouthfuls before answering, and then, having
well tasted the flavour, he said rather scornfully as he pushed away
his plate: “It is as I thought! It is an excellent pasty no doubt,
but not the Souzeraine.”
The Duke frowned and reddened with anger--“Dog of a dwarf,” cried he,
“how dare you treat me so? I have a good mind to have your head
chopped off as a punishment for your bad cookery.”
“My lord, I assure you I have made the pasty according to all the
rules of the art of cookery,” replied the dwarf trembling.
“It is false, you rascal,” replied the Duke, kicking him away. “If it
were right my guest would not say it was wrong. I have a good mind to
have you made into mincemeat and baked in a pie yourself.”
“Have mercy,” cried the poor little man, prostrating himself before
the royal guest and clasping his feet in his arms. “I pray you tell me
what I have left out of the pasty that it fails to suit your palate?
Do not condemn me to death for a handful of meat and flour.”
“It will be of little assistance to you to know, my dear Long-Nose,”
answered the Prince with a smile, “I was quite certain yesterday that
you would not be able to make this pasty as well as my cook can,
because the chief requisite is a herb which does not grow in this
country. It is known as ‘The Cook’s Delight,’ and without this the
pasty is practically tasteless, and your master will never eat it with
the same pleasure that I can in my own country.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account