I thought I should type up some of the notes I have taken on this matter, rather than keeping them on a rather scrappy piece of paper. This is simply a list of the spice blends from a number of medieval cookbooks, and will hopefully grow. The first one from Le Menagier is one of my favourites.
Le Menagier de Paris
14 oz cinnamon
1 oz ginger
1 oz grains of paradise
1/6 oz nutmeg
1/6 oz galingale
-----------
1 oz and 1 drachma (1/8th of an oz) white ginger
1/4 oz cinnamon
1/8 oz grains of paradise
1/8 oz cloves
1/4 oz sugar
----------
Duke's powder
To make powdered hippocras,
take a quarter of very fine cinnamon selected by tasting it, and half a
quarter of fine flour of cinnamon, an ounce of selected string ginger,
fine and white, and an ounce of grain of Paradise, a sixth of nutmegs
and galingale together, and bray them all together. And when you would
make your hippocras, take a good half ounce of this powder and two
quarters of sugar and mix them with a quart of wine, by Paris measure.
And note that the powder and the sugar mixed together is the Duke's
powder.
Frati 15th century Italy
1/4 cloves
1 oz ginger
1 oz cinnamon
same quantity bay leaf
--------
Libro de Guisados:
Spices for common sauce
3 parts cinnamon
2 parts cloves
1 part ginnger
1 part sugar?? (I can't read my own notes there... must check)
and a little ground coriander and a little saffron
Spices for Clarea
3 parts cinnamon
2 parts cloves
1 part ginger
Dukes Powder
1/2 oz cinnamon
1/8 cloves
1 pound sugar
a little ginger
--------------
Powder Blanche (Haven of Health)
2 oz sugar
1/4 oz ginger
1/8 oz cinnamon
Le Menagier also has a Duke's powder:
ReplyDeleteTo make powdered hippocras, take a quarter of very fine cinnamon selected by tasting it, and half a quarter of fine flour of cinnamon, an ounce of selected string ginger, fine and white, and an ounce of grain of Paradise, a sixth of nutmegs and galingale together, and bray them all together. And when you would make your hippocras, take a good half ounce of this powder and two quarters of sugar and mix them with a quart of wine, by Paris measure. And note that the powder and the sugar mixed together is the Duke's powder.
Thanks!
Delete