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barley-water-msg - 3/4/08

 

Period barley water.

 

NOTE: See also the files: tea-msg, wine-msg, spiced-wine-msg, jalabs-msg, beer-msg, herbs-msg, rice-msg, grains-msg, infusions-msg.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given by the individual authors.

 

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear at this time. If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

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Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 17:00:15 -0800

From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <crystal at pdr-is.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Herbal infusions

 

LrdRas at aol.com wrote:

> You may be right here but the drinking of such infusions were almost if not

> entirely for medicinal purposes.  It does not surprise me that there is no

> mention of this in period cookery sourses. To research this information, IMHO,

> you would have to turn to herbals and medicinal manuals.

>

> Ras

 

The following are some medieval sources for tisane. I thought tisane

meant "barley water" so perhaps if I go look again I'll find more

tisanes that are "herb water." Please remember nearly all of these are

translations perhaps the word tisance was used for convenience.

 

What does "stampe" mean in 14th century english/context of making violet

water?

 

Thanks,

Crystal of the Westermark

 

Anthimus. De Observatio Ciborum. circa 526CE. Translated by Weber,

Shirley Howard. _Anthimus, De Observatio Ciborum: Text, Commentary and

Glossary with a Study of the Latinity. DissertationÉ_. Published by E.J.

Brill Ltd., Leiden 1924.

 

LXIIII Of Tisane

Tisane which is made of barley, if anyone knows how to make it, is good

for well people and for those with a feverÉ. Diluted with warm wine, a

teaspoon of it well mixed should be sipped slowly on a empty stomachÉ.

We usually give this to those with a fever, not thick, but diluted with

clear warm water. It is agreeable also during periods of fasting, in

Lent, to take this with hot water by all meansÉ.

 

Maimonides, Moses (1135-1204 CE). _Maqalah Fi Bayan Ba'D Al-A'Rad

Wa-A;-Jawab 'Anha Ma'Amar Ha-Hakra'Ah_. edited and translated by

Leibowitz, JO and Marcus, S. _Moses Maimonides on the Causes and

Symptoms (Maqalah Fi Bayan Ba'D Al-A'Rad Wa-A;-Jawab 'Anha Ma'Amar

Ha-Hakra'Ah [and] De Causis Accidentium)_ Published by University of

California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1974. ISBN 0-520-02224-6 LCCCN 71-187873

 

page 147

...barley kashk, prepared every day.... Its description in accordance

with the needs of our master is as follows: Take polished barley, six

months after it is harvested, forty drams; chopped seeds of fumitory,

chopped seeds of Iraqi poppy, two drams; chopped moistened white

sandalwood, one dram; nard, a fourth of a dram; dill flowers, half a

dram; olive oil from the Magrib or Syria, yellow of color and free from

bitter taste, three drams. The whole of these should be put together in

an earthen pot. Pour into this pot one thousand drams of water, and heat

it over a charcoal fire until half the water evaporates. Then pour into

it six drams of wine vinegar. Its cooking is completed when less than a

fourth of it remains, and its color appears red. Then filter it, and add

to the filtrate half a dram of salt....

 

Henslow, G. Rev. Professor. editor. _Medical Works of the Fourteenth

Century Together with a List of Plants Recorded in Contemporary Writing

with the Identifications_. Published by Burt Franklin, New York, NY,

1972. ISBN 0-8337-1666-2.

 

Page 28 MS. [A]

If a man-ys bon ys broke. - Take violet and stampe hit with water and

drynke hit and his schal caste out the brokyn bon.

 

Page 46 MS. [A]

For the quinsie. - Take colymbyn and fetherouyghe and the leuys of

confery and stampe hem to-gedre and drynke the ius with stale ale.

 

Ratti, Oscar. and Westbrook, Adele. Translators and adaptors. _The

Medieval Health Handbook_. Orginal Italian edition, _Tacinum Sanitatis_.

Lusia Arano, editor. Publsihed by George Braziller, Inc. New York. 1976

ISBN 0-8076-0808-4

 

>From the Tacuinum of Liege:

 

106. Barley Water (Aqua Ordey)

Nature: Cold and dry in the second degree. Optimum: That which has been

thoroughly boiled and is mild. Usefulness: For the inflamed stomach.

Dangers: It is harmful for cold intestines. Neutralization of the

dangers: With sugar. Effects: Temperate blood. It is suitable for warm

temperaments, for young people, in Summer and in Southerly regions.

(Vienna, f. 45)

 

_Le Menagier de Paris_. (The Goodman of Paris, c. 1395) Translated by

Janet Hinson. Reprinted in _A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance

Cookbooks: First Compiled by Duke Cariadoc of the Bow and The Duchess

Diana Alena_. Fifth Edition (1992) Volume Two, published privately. Page

M38-39 Beverages for Invalids

 

Sweet Tisane

Take water and boil it, then add for each sixth of a gallon of water one

good bowl of barley, and it does not (or it does not matter? - Trans) if

it (p. 238) still has its hulls, and get two parisis' worth of licorice,

item, or figs, and boil it all until the barley bubbles; then let it be

strained in two or three cloths, and put in each goblet a large amount

of rock-sugar. This barley is good to feed to poultry to fatten them.

Note that good licorice is the youngest, and when cut is a lively

greenish colour, and if it is old it is more insipid and dead, and dry.

 

Eberhards. _Das Kochbuch Meister Eberhards_ circa 1500 CE. Translated by

Alia Atlas. Published on-line akatlas at csbu.edu

 

#27 Barley swells and cools and does not feed well and hurts all those

who have the affliction, and who become cold nature or who have colic in

the body. But for hot people and those who would be smaller, it is good.

And one eats or drinks it with fennel seeds, so it is good for many

afflictions in the breast, and Avincenna says that barley water harms

the stomach which is cold. It is also very good for feverish people.

 

 

Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 12:26:24 -0500

From: "Michael Newton" <melcnewt at netins.net>

Subject: SC - Sweet Tisane

 

Looking at the recipe for Sweet Tisane in Le Menagier, I have come across a

few questions.

the recipe is:

 

Sweet Tisane. Take water and boil it, then add for each sixth of a gallon of

water one good bowl of barley, and it does not (or it does matter?-Trans)if

it still has its hulls, and get two parisis'worth of licorice, item, or

figs, and boil it all until the barley bubbles; then let it be strained in

two or three cloths, and put in each goblet a large amount of rock-sugar.

This barley is good to feed to poultry to fatten them.

 

I redact this so far as

boil 1 cup of  whole barley (with or without hulls) in 1/6th of a gallon of

water with 3 or 4 licorice sticks or 1 or 2 figs (just a guess) until it

becomes barley portage. Then strain out the portage part, and drink the

resulting liquid with a sugar lump in the bottom. (I don't have room in the

upstairs apt. I live in for the poultry so I'm going to skip that part of

the recipe :)  )

 

Now I guessed on the figs and licorice, because I have no idea how much a

parisis' worth is, much less 2 of them. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

also, would this had been drunk hot, cold or lukewarm? While it says rock

sugar, I could see it mean either rock candy, which means it needs to be hot

to let the candy sweeten the drink, or a sugar cube, which could sweeten a

lukewarm drink.

 

Beatrix of Tanet

Geisterhugel, Calontir

 

 

Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2000 17:23:59 -0500 (EST)

From: Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Question on tea

 

Bear said:

> Also try the words tisane and ptisan, which cover all kinds of infusions

> including sweetened barley water.

 

OED says ptisan specifically refers to barley water and tisane is a

postperiod usage[... however tisane is a term used by people trying to

sound old-tymey, so it's another way to search.] It's also a french usage,

says the OED.

 

Bit embarrassing for us, as we named our herb guild newsletter _Tisane_.

- --

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise       jenne at tulgey.browser.net

 

 

Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 18:10:46 -0600

From: "Michael F. Gunter" <michael.gunter at fnc.fujitsu.com>

Subject: non-member submission - Re: SC - OED?

 

> OED says ptisan specifically refers to barley water and tisane is a

> postperiod usage[... however tisane is a term used by people trying to

 

> sound old-tymey, so it's another way to search.] It's also a french usage,

> says the OED.

 

How did you come by the idea that "tisane" is a post period usage?  In

fact, it appears to be a variant of the early form of the word. The OED

cites:

 

1398 "...{TH}at phisicians clepen Thisan

c1400 "the {TH}e v. day he took {TH}ikke tizanne

c1440 "Tysane, drynke, ptizana"

c1567 "They will refuse the Tysants taste"

c1596 "A little of the tysan the Earle had drunke of"

 

The first citation with a form of "ptisan" starting with a P is in 1533.

 

Under "Tisane" the OED says only that it's a variant form of "ptisan"

and gives a definition for a tea that it's been applied to since around

1930.

 

Finally, what the OED says is that it probably is derived from a French

word not that the usage is French instead of English. Ultimately, it

derives from a Greek word meaning peeled or pearl barley, also a drink

made from this.

 

toodles, margaret

 

 

Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 19:15:34 -0800

From: "E. Rain" <raghead at liripipe.com>

Subject: SC - Ordiate

 

a few weeks back Brighid posted the following info re the Sent Sovi Oridate

recipes.

 

> I don't know how much you were able to figure, and as I said

> before, I don't actually *read* Catalan, and therefore can't

> *translate* it, but here are paraphrases...

>

> Recipe #97 is made of barley flour.  Strain it through a thin napkin

> with thin almond milk, then set it to cook.  When it is cooked and

> thickened, taste it for salt.  If the person for whom it is being

> cooked does not have a fever, you can add white sugar (ordiat is

> generally an invalid dish).  If it's being served to someone who is

> not sick, and you don't want to add sugar, you can add honey if

> you wish.

>

> Recipe #98 is made of pearled barley cooked in a thin almond milk.

>  When the grains have cooked enough that they have burst, press

> them between two chopping boards, and then put them back in the

> almond milk to cook as in the other recipe.  And add sugar as

> previously said.

>

> Recipe 30 from fragment V: the pearled barley is boiled

> (presumably in water), then chopped in a morter. Then it's thinned

> with with almond milk, strained through a thick napkin, and set to

> cook as said above.  All ordiat should have white sugar put in it.

 

I went ahead & played with the third recipe(#30 from Fragment V) based on

Brighid's paraphrasing which matched my own gleanings.

Here's what I came up with:

 

Eden's Ordiate:

1/4 c. barley

3. c. boiling water

1 pinch salt

1 c. ground almonds

4 c. boiling water

1/8 c. sugar

 

Cook barley in 3. c. boiling water w/pinch of salt for 1 hour (till soft)

drain off water mash barley in food processor.

Make almond milk: combine almonds with 4 c. boiling water stir & let sit for

5 mins or so.

Add to pureed barley.  Shmoosh around a bit, then strain in fine wire

strainer.

Add 1/8 c. sugar

Heat to a boil, let boil about 5 mins till it thickens slightly.

Restrained through wire strainer plus cheesecloth to remove slight

grainyness

Serve

 

Very tasty warm milky beverage.  Good for breakfast, right before bedtime,

or indeed if you were feeling ooky as it was originally intended ;->  but

not something to serve at a feast.  even better when sprinkled with a pinch

of cinnamon, which is a standard instruction with medieval spanish dishes.

 

The glop that I strained out (mooshed barley with the ground almonds from

the almond milk) is probably closer to recipe #98 and tasted exactly like

oatmeal :->

 

so either way - as a drink or a glop it's quite yummy

Eden

 

Eden Rain

raghead at liripipe.com

 

 

Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 23:49:38 -0400

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"

        <adamantius.magister at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] barley water recipe?

To: jenne at fiedlerfamily.net, Cooks within the SCA

        <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Also sprach Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise:

> I lost the handout that had a recipe for barley water on it. Should I

> just make a tea of barley, do you think? Or toast the barley first?

 

SWEET TISANE. Take water and boil it, then add for each sixth of a

gallon of water one good bowl of barley, and it does not (or it does

matter? - Trans.) if it still has its hulls, and get two parisis'

worth of licorice, item, or figs, and boil it all until the barley

bubbles; then let it be strained in two or three cloths, and put in

each goblet a large amount of rock-sugar. This barley is good to

feed to poultry to fatten them.

 

               -- Le Menagier de Paris, Hinson translation

 

Seems to me this would have been a fever and sore throat remedy, both

for its soothing, mucilaginous qualities, and, I suspect, cooling

properties (although I haven't checked this last). I assume the

reference to the barley is for the strained barley solids.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:09:08 -0400

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On May 17, 2007, at 8:05 AM, Volker Bach wrote:

> I'm still wondering about drinks. I know there's beer

> and wine, and grape must. I've given them vinegar

> water before. Now I'm wondering whether barley water

> makes sense. it sounds interesting and gets mentioned

> quite a bit in 'period' contexts, but is it documentable?

 

I'm almost positive there's a licorice-flavored barley-water for the

sick in Le Menagier...

 

Of course, there was the time we made a completely unfermented ale

the morning of an East Kingdom Twelfth Night, and everyone wanted to

know if the sweet iced tea we were serving was period...

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:19:35 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

That combination turns up in the 17th century in books on cures for the

plague.

 

And for his drink, the decocted water  of barley,

boyled with a little licorice is best, being mixed with the juice of a

Lemon, Citron, Pomegranate, or Rybes: which the sick best liketh, for

either of them is very good.

 

And for his diet, he must refrain from all salt, fat, thick and sharp

meats: and from all sweet things either in meat or drink, his meat must

be of a facile and easie digestion, and that hath a cooling property in

it, as broth wherein burrage, bugloss, sorrell, and such like are

boyled, and for ordinary drink, small beer or ale is best. page 56

 

from A treatise concerning the plague and the pox by Edwards. 1652.

 

Johnnae

 

> On May 17, 2007, at 8:05 AM, Volker Bach wrote:snipped

>>  Now I'm wondering whether barley water

>> makes sense. it sounds interesting and gets mentioned

>> quite a bit in 'period' contexts, but is it documentable?

>

> I'm almost positive there's a licorice-flavored barley-water for the

> sick in Le Menagier...

>

> Of course, there was the time we made a completely unfermented ale

> the morning of an East Kingdom Twelfth Night, and everyone wanted to

> know if the sweet iced tea we were serving was period...

>

> Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:34:18 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Here's another recipe

86. To make BarleyWater,

 

Take a penny-worth of Barley, a penny-worth of Raisins of the Sun, a

penny-worth of Anniseeds, a half penny-worth of Liquorish, about two

quarts of water, boil all together till half be consumed, then strain

it, and when it is cold drink it, your Liquorish must be sliced into

small pieces.

 

The Accomplish'd lady's delight in preserving, physick, beautifying, and

cookery. 1675

 

Johnnae

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:41:30 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

I was going to do this soon anyway.

 

I ran this through EEBO-TCP this am.

 

Barley water as the search terms in a proximity search.

 

Looking at the printed record, early on there are a number of references

that read ?barley Brede / and Water.?

 

There are early 16^th century medicinal or remedies that mention barley

water, minus the bread.

 

  From The noble experyence of the vertuous handy warke of surgery by

Brunschwig, Hieronymus, (ca. 1450-ca. 1512.) printed 1525.

 

"his drynke shall be made with barleywater sodden with parseley ro+tes"

 

Brunschwig, Hieronymus, (ca. 1450-ca. 1512.) is also credited with The

vertuose boke of distyllacyon of the waters of all maner of herbes 1527

or1528

 

"Water of batley Ca .ci.

 

ORdeum in latyn. The best tyme of his dystyllacyon is in the ende of the

Maye A The water dystylled of the herbe barley is good to be put in the

iyen against all euyll i?..for it clenseth them and ?. them."

 

The 1534 edition The castel of helth gathered and made by Syr Thomas

Elyot knyghte mentions it at least 3 times.

Such as: "onely wasshe his mouthe, and his throote with barleywater, or

small ale, or lye downe..."

 

It?s in Alessio. 1558 The secretes of the reuerende Maister Alexis of

Piemount

 

"giue the pacient drinke of it, with a litle Barleywater,"

 

The 1560 Second part urges that ?To make wemens milke encrease.: TAke

Fenell seede, and seeth it in barleywater, and giue the woman drinke of

it, and her milke shall encrease abondantly.?

 

This association of drinking barley water to make milk increase appears

then quite frequently in most of the late

16th century and then into the 17th century medical texts.

 

A WORLDE of Wordes, Or Most copious, and exact Dictionarie in Italian

and English, collected by IOHN FLORIO. 1611

includes this definition:

 

"Ptisana,? Ptisan or Tysan, that is to say barley husked and sodden in

water , or barley water such as phisitions commonly giue to sicke folkes

to drinke."

 

There?re 7 mentions in the 1616 Maison rustique, or The countrey farme.

 

There?re 9 mentions in the 1633 edition The herball or Generall historie

of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde

 

A number of references appear in The Queens closet opened from 1655 but

again they are medicinal.

 

Recipe wise there?s THE CLOSET Of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme

Digbie K^t. OPENED 1669 where barley water starts showing up in recipes

such as

 

A Barley Sack Posset.

 

Take half a pound or more of French-barley, (not Perle- barley ) and

pour scalding water upon it, and wash it well therein, and strain it

from the water , & put it into the Corner of a Linnen-cloth and tie it

up fast there, and strike it a dozen or twenty blows against a firm

table or block, to make it tender by such bruising it, as in the

Countrey is used with wheat to make frumenty. Then put it into a la?ge

skillet with three pints of good milk. Boil this till at least half be

consumed, and that it become as thick as hasty pudding, which will

require at least two hours; and it must be carefully stirred all the

wh?le, least it burn too: which if by some little inadverrence it should

do, and that some black burned substance sti?keth to the bottom of the

skillet, pour all the good matter from it into a fresh skillet (or into

a b?sin whiles you scoure this) and renew boiling till it be very thick;

All which is to make the barley.

 

It?s also mentioned in a cream, a pap, a nourishing broth, and to feed

chickens.

 

I?ve already posted The Accomplish'd lady's delight in preserving,

physick, beautifying, and cookery?s recipe.

 

Johnnae

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 12:54:13 -0400

From: silverr0se at aol.com

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

The 1st century C.E. doctor Galen, upon whose work much of medieveal  

medicine rests, was big on barley. IIRC he devoted an entire book to  

it. I can't recall off-hand if there is a barley water recipe, but  

I'll look it up when I get home.

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 13:01:58 -0400

From: Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

   Volker Bach asked the question.

 

        Barley water is called tisane (L. tisana or tisanam) in Apicius. His  

recipe sounds like a soup as he adds onion, herbs and probably parts  

of trotters. We know through Hartley that Scottish reapers drank  

barley water to prevent dehydration but this was replaced by salted  

oatmeal.

 

        The Spaniards call it tisana or ordinate. Although the dictionary of  

the Spanish Royal Academy defines ordinate as a drink the recipes in  

Sent Sovi and Nola are thicker. In one of Sent Sovi's barley flour is  

boiled in chicken broth until it becomes a heavy cream and then mixed  

it with almond milk and sugar. The other calls for whole grain.  

Nola's recipes are similar. He uses ground barley and adds cinnamon  

as well as almond milk and sugar.

 

        In Spain barley water as a beverage or cream was very popular from  

the 14th to the 18th centuries not only for the sick but especially  

among peasants in rural areas where it was served very cold. Its  

popularity declined in the middle of  the 18th century but it did not  

disappear entirely as it still can be found today.

 

        Certainly the Scots plain barley water sounds awful. Doctoring it up  

like the English, French or Spanish versions make it sound like a  

really novel non-alcoholic drink prefect for camp demos.

 

Suey

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 10:19:23 -0700

From: Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Suey wrote:

>      The Spaniards call it tisana or ordinate. Although the dictionary  

> of the Spanish Royal Academy defines ordinate as a drink the  

> recipes in Sent Sovi and Nola are thicker. In one of Sent Sovi's  

> barley flour is boiled in chicken broth until it becomes a heavy  

> cream and then mixed it with almond milk and sugar. The other calls  

> for whole grain. Nola's recipes are similar. He uses ground barley  

> and adds cinnamon as well as almond milk and sugar.

 

Wow.  The De Nola version sounds to me like a barley version of

Horchata, available anywhere Mexican Food is sold. "The Rice Pudding

Drink" ground rice and cinnamon and water, it quenches the fire of hot

spicy food better than beer in my humble opinion.

 

Selene

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 14:22:17 -0400

From: Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

Selene wrote:

> Wow.  The De Nola version sounds to me like a barley version of

> Horchata.

 

There are Spanish

references claiming barley water or whatever you call it comes from

horchata. I avoided the subject today because it takes us back to

chicken and egg debates. Who invented horchata? I have not gone back to

the Greeks or Romans on this one. I am sure they had it too but my entry

on Spain is:

 

"Sp horchata, L. hordea-ta (made with barley) fr. hordeum (barley), Fr.

arjai (fr. ord?, barley), Eng. orgeat, a cooling drink originally made

with barley. Later nuts of various types were used. It was a common

drink among Hispano-Arabs, especially in Cordoba by the 10^th C at

least. In 15^th C. Castile, it was made from orange* *blossom water and

barley, almonds or other nuts. Later, Valencians substituted barley for

rice. It was not until the late 17^th C that the earthnut or chufa was

used to make the orgeat that is famous in Valencia today."

 

So there you have your horchata - at one point Conquistadores must have

taken rice horchata to the New World while in Spain the vogue turned to

the earthnut. It is fascinating to learn about so many Spanish recipes

stemming from the Middle Ages or before that have been discontinued

apparently in Spain but are old hat to you guys today.

 

Suey

 

 

Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 17:56:46 -0500

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old is barley water?

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Barley water is documented in Anthimus (6th Century) as a drink for those

ill with fever.  As a drink, you may come across it referenced as orgeat and

orgemonde, where it is mixed with anise, fruit or almonds.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 17:29:52 -0400

From: Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Horchata - Barley Water

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

Someone asked about horchata being barley water or something like that.

The word horchata (orgeat in English), comes from the Latin: hordeata

(made with barley) fr. hordeum (barley). Yes originally is was cooling

drink made with barley. Later nuts of various types were used. It was a

common drink among Hispano-Arabs, especially in Cordova by the 10th C at

least. In 15th C. Castile, it was made from orange flower water and

barley, almonds or other nuts. Later, Valencias substituted rice for

barley. It was not until the late 17th C that the earthnut was used to

make the orgeat that known there today.

 

Suey

 

 

Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 12:15:33 -0500

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Horchata - Barley Water

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

The earthnut mentioned in the quote is probably Arachis hypogaea, the

peanut, rather than any members of the genera Apios, Vigna, Lathyrus,

Conopodium, Bunium, or Tuber, that are also referred to as groundnuts or

earthnuts.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Sat, 19 May 2007 10:20:02 -0700

From: Lilinah <lilinah at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Horchata - Barley Water

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

>  What I'm wondering is whether the earthnut referred to above is the

>  modern groundnut, or what Americans call peanuts...

 

Nope, definitely not peanuts. It's a different critter. Apparently

these can sometimes be found in Asian markets... I suspect that

almonds replaced the pignuts/earthnuts.

 

Here's what Epicurious says:

 

[http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/food_dictionary/entry?id=1932]

Earthnuts, see Chufa

 

[http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/food_dictionary/entry?id=1932]

Chufa; chufa nuts

[CHOO-fuh]

Actually the tiny, tuberous roots of an African plant of the sedge

family, chufa "nuts" are immensely popular in Spain and Mexico,

primarily as a base for the refreshing drink, HORCHATA. They have a

brown, bumpy skin and a sweet, chestnutlike flavor. Dried chufas are

available in bags in many Latin markets and health-food stores. Store

them, tightly wrapped, in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Besides their use in horchatas, chufas make an excellent snack.

They're also known as earth almonds, earthnuts  and tiger nuts.

 

Articles Archive.net says:

[http://food.articlesarchive.net/earthnuts-or-pignuts-conopodium-

majus.html]

 

Earthnuts or Pignuts (Conopodium Majus)

 

An edible tuber common in British woodlands.

 

Although these tasty tubers are beloved of pigs (hence the name) they

are a most unusual and rewarding woodland snack and there was a time

when they were a popular nibble for country children on their way to

and from school. The fern like leaves appear along with the Lesser

Celandine in the spring. During May and July they develop umbellifer

heads with white flowers not unlike Cow Parsley. According to Gerard

and others the Dutch once ate them 'boiled and buttered, as we do

parseneps and carrots'.

Unearthing a pignut is a delicate operation. The root disconnects

from the tuber very easily, which can be several inches from where

the stem appears above ground.

Follow the stem under the earth using careful scraping with a twig,

fingernail or knife. Eventually you will reach the pignut, which is

covered with a chestnut coloured skin. If you can wash the nut at

this stage it avoids getting muddy fingernails while peeling. Scrape

off the papery outer coating to reveal the Earthnut.

The older name for Earthnuts is 'Earth Chestnuts' and this gives you

a clue to their taste - a chestnut texture but with a more earthy taste.

There's nothing like carefully digging one of these up during a walk

in the woods. Do it with your fingernails. As the earthy taste hits

the senses you are drawn more completely into contact with the nature

around you. A true 'pomme de terre'.

Gerard's Herbal mentions that 'There is a Plaister made of the seeds

hereof, whereof to write in this place were impertinent to our

historie'....Probably witches again!

 

Earthnuts also get a mention in Shakespeare's 'Tempest', from Caliban

as he promises:

"I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;

And with my long nails I will dig thee pignuts".

 

From: A FIRST WILD HERBAL by Simon Mitchell

--

Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)

the persona formerly known as Anahita

 

 

Date: Sun, 20 May 2007 13:23:05 -0400

From: Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Horchata - Barley Water

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

   Inadvertently I flipped some key and lost the last SCA message sent

last night. I believe Lilinah was the one who asked to be provided with

the ordeate recipes from from Sent Sovi. Unfortunately there is no

complete translation of the manuscript to date in Castellan or English

as far as I know but Antonio Gazquez Ortiz in La cocina en tiempos del

Arcipreste de Hita does translate the third recipe into Castellan. His

translation, pp 84 is:

 

SE HABLA E COMO SE HACE AVENATE CON LECHE DE ALMENDRAS

Si quieres hacer avenante con leche de almendras, se hace asi:

primeramente toma leche de almendras y cuando hayas hecho la leche, toma

avena bien limpia y hazla harina, y mezclaras con dicha leche, colocala

en un pano claro y ponla a cocer como el ordiat. Espolvorear de azucar

como el ordiat.

 

Sent Sovi cap LXXXXVIIII

Gazquez explains that ordeate is made with barley but when made with

oatmeal it is called avenate (oatmeal). Nola copies this recipe in more

detail, see Lady Brighid ni Chiarain's . "An English translation of

Ruperto de Nola's "Libre del Coch." in Stefan's Florilegium

Guisados1-art. No. 118. Oatmeal Gruel and Barley Gruel AVENATE Y ORDIATE

http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Guisados1-

art.htm

 

The other recipes Chapter LXXXXVII QUE PARLA CON SE FFA ORDIAT AB LET DE

MELLE Ordeate with almond milk, Chapter LXXXVIII QUI PARLA CON SE FFA

D'ALTRA MANERA D'ORDIAT AB LET DE AMELLES Another recipe for ordeate

with almond milk and Proleg V No. 30 ORDIAT EN ALTRA MANERA - Another

recipe for ordeate. Basically these three recipes are practically the

same as the oatmeal recipe but call for pearl barley boiled in almond

milk, mashed in a mortar and sieved. They are flavored with salt. Sugar

or honey is optional. If you want the full recipes I can copy them in

Old Catalan. Mind you my copy of the manuscript is edited by Rubert

Grewe. He gives a total of 25 footnotes for the four recipes in modern

Catalan. That would make a rather long email.

 

Suey

 

 

Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:57:20 -0500

From: "otsisto" <otsisto at socket.net>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] lemon barley water?.

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/Orng-Lmn-drks-art.html

Digby in 1675 includes a barley water flavored with the juice of an orange,

but the recipe seems far more barley than orange in its flavors. It  

reads:

 

A Cooling Drink in a Fever.

 

Take a Gallon of Spring-water, five Spoonfuls of French Barley, half a pound

of the best blue Currants, let it boil softly till a quart be consumed; then

take two handfuls of Wood-Sorrel, as much of Roman Sorrel; bruise them well,

and let them infuse one hour, then take it off and strain it through a

Sieve; drink of this with the juice of an Orange, and a little fine Sugar.

 

 

Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:06:15 -0400

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] lemon barley water?.

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On Sep 16, 2007, at 3:57 AM, otsisto wrote:

 

> http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/Orng-Lmn-drks-art.html

> Digby in 1675 includes a barley water flavored with the juice of an

> orange,

> but the recipe seems far more barley than orange in its flavors. It

> reads:

>

> A Cooling Drink in a Fever.

>

> <snip>

 

> Sieve; drink of this with the juice of an Orange, and a little fine

> Sugar.

 

The proportion of orange to barley may not be as low as it seems at

first. Since you're drinking it with the juice of an orange, isn't it

conceivable that means (suppose we plug in some made-up numbers for

effect here) 1/3 cup Seville orange juice for eight ounces of barley-

water and some sugar?

 

Now, if Digby had said, "mix all this with the juice of an orange",

that would be different -- you'd be drinking a miniscule portion of

the juice of an orange in each cup, rather than the juice of an

orange in each cup.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:10:29 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] lemon barley water drink

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

It's quite common to have added additional flavorings to

barley water-

 

*86. To make BarleyWater*,

 

Take a penny-worth of Barley, a penny-worth of Raisins of the Sun, a

penny-worth of Anniseeds, a half penny-worth of Liquorish, about two

quarts of water, boil all together till half be consumed, then strain  

it, and when it is cold drink it, your Liquorish must be sliced into  

small pieces.

 

  /The Accomplish'd Lady's Delight in Preserving, Physick,

Beautifying, and Cookery./ 1675

 

Johnnae

 

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Gunthar, so what was your documentation and recipe for this? Do you

> actually have evidence for lemon being added to barley water? Or were

> you just combining a period lemon and a period barley water drink?

> We've discussed barley water before but this is the first I've heard

> of additional flavorings.

 

 

Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:37:34 -0400

From: Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Horchata -nutsedge

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

Devra wrote:

> . .  The groundnut may have been introduced into Europe as early as  

> 1597 and was reportedly an important forage food during the Civil War.

> . . . another entry:

>

> Cyperus esculentus, also called nutsedge, earth almond, tiger nut,  

> chufa (Portuguese and Spanish)

>

> Nutsedge has a long history of cultivation beginning 4,000 years  

> ago in ancient Egypt. From there?it made its way throughout the  

> Middle East. In the Middle Ages, the Moors introduced nutsedge into  

> Spain.... The most famous preparation ...is the Spanish beverage?  

> horchata de chufa. It is made by soaking the crushed tubers in  

> water, straining out the solids, and adding cinnamon, sugar,?

> vanilla, and crushed ice. In some areas people roast the tubers,  

> then grind them and use them as a caffeine-free coffee substitute.?

>

> So probably what we were talking about isn't the groundnut, but the  

> nutsedge...

>

> Devra the confused?

 

Horchata - Barley Water message clarifies this but anyway

horchata was a common drink among Hispano-Muslims, especially in Cordova

by the 10^th C at least using the nutsedge, tiger nut or chufa nut (L.

/Cyperus/ /esculentus/) which was the forerunner of the tiger nut milk

or /horchata /drunk in Valencia today. In 15^th C. Castile, horchata was

made from orange* *flower water and barley, almonds or other nuts while

in England it became almond milk. Later, Valencians substituted barley

with rice as it was more economical for them due to the large production

in the area. It was not until the late 17^th C that they used nutsedge

to make the horchata known today consisting of the juice from the

macerated tubers, water, sugar and lemon peel and served cold especially

in summer.

 

 

Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 04:41:06 +0000 (GMT)

From: emilio szabo <emilio_szabo at yahoo.it>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] tisane

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

Johnnae,

 

thank you! I am familiar with the OED quotations.

 

As far as I can see, all of the earlier quotations in the

OED mention varieties of the classical barley preparations

called "ptisana" by the ancients (Hippocrates, Galen, Celsus,

Alexander Trallianus, ...). This was not a herb infusion,

but something ranging from a thick barley broth to a thin

barley drink strained through a sieve, sometimes mixed

with honey and other ingredients.

 

>  1398  Trevisa /Barth. De P.R./ xvii. cxv. (Bodl. MS.), Of barlich

>      ischeled and isode in water is a medicinable drinke ymade ?at

>      phisicians clepen Thisan;

 

Barley "isode in water". Not an herb infusion but the

traditional barley ptisana.

 

>  C. 1400/Lanfranc's Cirurg./ 139 In ?e v; day he took ?ikke

>      tizanne [/v.r/. tysan].

 

(th)ikke indicates, that this quotation refers to a traditional

barley ptisana variety as well.

 

>  C. 1440 /Promp. Parv./ 494/2 Tysane, drynke, /ptisana/

 

This one is hard to decide; the traditional barley water

is certainly a kind of drink.

 

There are late medieval and even early modern

quotations from the OED still refering

to a kind of barley water: "Ptisane is watir

at barliche is soden yn."a1475 tr. Gilbertus Anglicus Pharmaceutical  

Writings (Wellcome) 108 Let him ete diapenidion with ptisane.  

(Ptisane is watir at barliche is soden yn.)

 

?1537 T. ELYOT Castell of Helthe II. xxi. 36 Ptysane..is none other  

than pure barley, brayed in a morter, and sodden in water.

 

1562 W. BULLEIN Bk. Simples f. 8v, in Bulwarke of Defence, And of  

cleane Barly and puer water, is made that excellente water called  

Ptisant.

 

 

What I would like to see is a clear quotation for "tisane" or one of  

its spelling

 

varieties used for a herb infusion, we would be prepared to call tea  

today.

 

If "such a beasty was often called a tissane" in the Middle Ages, it  

should be easy to quote one of the instances.

 

Emilio

 

 

Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:54:09 -0600

From: Michael Gunter <countgunthar at hotmail.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Barley Water

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

> Your menu sounds so wonderful. Wish I could attend! Are you going to

> make your own barley water? Do you have a recipe?

> Phillipa

 

I'll be having as much made from scratch as possible for this feast.

Since the dishes aren't too fancy I want to make it up with having

it all homemade and good tasting.

 

We talked about Barley Water on the list some time back so you could

check the Archives or Stefan's Florithingy. This is from the class  

notes on the Period Non-Alcoholic Drinks class I taught last Spring.

 

Cariadoc has been given proper attribution to this in the notes as I  

used his recipe as the base:

 

Barley Water

 

1/2 cup pearl barley water, to rinse barley

10 additional cups cold water

1 whole ripe lemon, to be juiced and the rind used

1/3 cup (approx) additional lemon juice (more on this later)

1/2 to 1 cup honey

 

Rinse the pearl barley under running water. Scrub the lemon to make  

sure the rind is clean. Put the rinsed barley in a pan or pot, cover  

with cold water, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 3 minutes.  

Remove from heat and drain.

 

Put the simmered barley in another large pot and add the 10 cups cold water. Grate the rind from the lemon into the water, careful not to get any of the white pith. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover well, and let simmer on low for 60 minutes.

 

Check it occasionally to make sure it's not boiling too hard - you  

don't want to lose too much liquid.

 

Roll the lemon (now minus the rind), pressing it with your palm, on a countertop or cutting board to release the juices inside. Juice the lemon and add enough extra lemon juice to make at least 3/4 cup of juice.

 

To the barley water in the large pot, add the lemon juice and sugar (or honey); stir until dissolved. Taste the liquid and add any additional lemon juice to  

your preference.

 

Pour the barley water through a strainer into a pitcher, retaining  

the barley.

 

I have found that if you bring the temperature down a bit then use a  

2 liter soda bottle it works very well. You can enjoy the barley water  

as a hot drink like tea, pour over ice for a refreshing drink on a  

hot day, or chill in the refrigerator. The flavor is a lemony sweet/

sour and is very close to the Orange Barley Water I've bought  

commercially. I like it diluted with a bit of water and poured over  

ice but Elizabeth enjoys it full strength.

Recipe makes approximately 2 liters of "Barley Soda."

 

I love this stuff. But I'm working on a non-lemon version since we  

may also have the period lemonade as well.

 

Gunthar

 

 

Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:00:21 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] barley water

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On Nov 25, 2007, at 1:48 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> I have found barley water available in bags, similar to tea bags, at

> an Asian grocery. But it is rather uncommon and it may take some

> searching for.

 

FWIW, I think what you're talking about may be a Korean product,

which, yes, is for making an infusion of roasted barley, a sort of tea.

 

However, I also think this is different from European barley water,

which is basically water boiled with barley until it has taken on a

starchy, slightly mucilaginous viscosity (then usually sweetened and

flavored).

 

Adamantius, in need of roasted bean infusions...

 

 

Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:47:44 -0800

From: Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] barley water

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

> On Nov 25, 2007, at 1:48 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

>> I have found barley water available in bags, similar to tea bags, at

>> an Asian grocery. But it is rather uncommon and it may take some

>> searching for.

>

> FWIW, I think what you're talking about may be a Korean product,

> which, yes, is for making an infusion of roasted barley, a sort of  

> tea.

 

I know it in the Japanese, "Mugi-Cha", roasted barley tea.  It comes off

like a coffee substitute, and if the flavor reminds you of Sanka,

there's good reason isn't there?  I know that the Koreans use it too but

I couldn't read the Korean to be able to tell you their name for it.

 

But as Master A points out, this is significantly different from western

"barley water" due to the roasting of the barley.

 

Selene

 

 

Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:56:40 +0000 (GMT)

From: emilio szabo <emilio_szabo at yahoo.it>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] barley water

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

 

A while ago I was searching for material on tisane / ptisana. Among  

other things I found this old German article:

 

http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/at/darmstaedter_1933_ptisana.pdf

 

As far as I can see, this is about barley water.

 

Emilio

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:06:48 -0600

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] barley water

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Yes.  According to Thomas Gloning, it is about barley, barley water, ptisana

and the like in old medical texts.  The citation information is:  Ernst

Darmstaedter: Ptisana. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der antiken Diaetetik. In:

Archeion 15 (1933) 181-201.

 

Bear

 

> A while ago I was searching for material on tisane / ptisana. Among  

> other things I found this old German article:

>

> http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/at/darmstaedter_1933_ptisana.pdf

>

> As far as I can see, this is about barley water.

>

> Emilio

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:29:41 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] barley water

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On Nov 26, 2007, at 11:16 PM, Heleen Greenwald wrote:

 

> Thanks for the good explanation Master A!  Can you explain to me

> though, why people would want to drink "...basically water boiled

> with barley until it has taken on a  starchy, slightly mucilaginous

> viscosity..."  sounds.... uhm, like something that I have to drink as

> a prep before a certain test that I have to take every year.  <trying

> to be delicate here.>

 

Resemblance to various test prep beverages notwithstanding, it was

considered in period to be nourishing for those with weak digestion,

cooling for people with fevers, and it coated and soothed the throat

for those with various ailments there. With rock sugar it could help

as an expectorant for people with bronchitis, etc.

 

As for the ever-popular mucilaginous viscosity, it must be borne in

mind, in fairness, that this is in comparison to plain water. It's not

sludge; when properly diluted it has a mouth feel somewhat like almond

or dairy milk.

 

> I've never tasted actual barley water myself, but I have seen/heard

> it referred to in  UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS as a drink for young women in

> lieu of wine/fortified wine.

 

Barley water seems to have been especially in vogue in the Victorian

and Edwardian eras, at around the same time there was something of a

peak in the use of malt in non-brewing applications. Either prevailing

medical theory, some marketing thing, or both, probably.

 

Adamantius

 

<the end>



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