murri-msg - 2/14/08
The fermented barley paste condiment of medieval Arabia.
NOTE: See also the files: sauces-msg, rice-msg, grains-msg, yeasts-msg, verjuice-msg, vinegar-msg.
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From: mdcarey at compuserve.com (M+D (Mary + Doug Piero Carey))
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Murri citations
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 03:21:37 GMT
Organization: RAEX Corporation - North Canton, OH
Some time ago, my lord Cariadoc posted a message about the sauce
murri. I did a little digging and found that Charles Perry did indeed
publish several articles mentioning murri in the L. A. Times. All are
in ther Food section. I apologize for the lack of page numbers. The
Times' website doesn't give that information. (one is expected to
fork over $2 to download each article. Anyone who thinks this
particular cheapskate is going to pay that kind of money for an 89
word article needs to think again! Especially when my Interlibrary
Loan Department can provide it for free.) Anyway, here is the list:
ALL THE LOST FLAVORS May 18, 1995 2502 words
ROT SAUCE December 21, 1995 198 words ( on murri & Kam^makh)
CHICKEN WITH 4 U^QIYAS OF GARLIC May 30, 1996 219 words
*WHAT ROT! January 14, 1998 89 words
*STILL ROTTING February 18, 1998 169 words
*O. K., IT'S ROTTED, IS IT SAFE? April 1, 1998 228 words
*ROT OF AGES April 1, 1998 1411 words
GOT ROTTED MILK? September 2, 1998 226 words
The asterisks mark the articles in which I was certain he was
discussing technique. Further details after I make a research run to
Cleveland, or ILL has time to tickle their databases for me.
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 16:58:29 +1100 (EST)
From: Charles McCN <charlesn at sunrise.srl.rmit.edu.au>
Subject: SC - SC murri
Someone asked what it was. the web address for this is
http://www.mpce.mq.edu.au/~gnott/interests/NVG/article2_sup.html
and the page says...
Ok, if you really want to know what this stuff murri is, then cop a load
of this! This recipe was kindly supplied by Rick Cullinan
who has actually made it.
Byzantine Murri
Kitab Wasf, Sina'ah 52, p.56, Sina'ah 51, p. 65: Charles Perry tr.
Description
There is taken, upon the name of God the Most High, of honey
scorched in naqrah (perhaps this word means 'a silver vessel'), three ratls, pounded scorched oven bread, ten loaves; starch, half a ratl; roasted anise, fennel and nigelia, two uqiyahs of each; Byzantine saffron, an uqiya; celery
seed, an uqiyah; Syrian Carob, half a ratl; fifty peeled walnuts, as much as half a ratl; split quinces, five; salt, half makkauk dissolved in honey; thirty ratls water; and the rest of the ingredients are thrown in it, and it is boiled
on a slow flame until a third of the water is absorbed. Then it is strained well in a clean nosebag of hair. It is taken up in a greased glass or pottery vessel with a narrow top. A little lemon from Takranjiya (? Sina'ah 51 has Bakr Fahr) is thrown on it, and if it suits that a little water is thrown on the dough and it is boiled upon it and strained, it would be a second (infusion). The weights and measurements that are given are Antiochan and Zahiri [as] in Mayyafariqin.
The following quantities are for 1/32 of the above recipe. The first
time I used more bread and the mixture was too thick. I have not discovered what a mukkuk is, so the salt is pure guesswork.
1 ratl = 12 uquiya = 600mL
Recipe
3 tbls honey
45g bread
1 tbls wheat starch
2/3 tsp anise
2/3 tsp fennel
2/3 tsp nigelia DANGER: This plant is poisonous, omit from recipe
1/4 tsp saffron
1/3 tsp celery seed
3/2 tsp carob
3/2 tsp walnut
45g quince
1/8 tsp salt
600mL water
1/4 of a lemon
I cooked the honey in a small frying pan, bringing it to a boil then
turning off the heat several times; it tasted scorched. The bread was sliced white bread, toasted in a toaster to be somewhat blackened, then mashed in a mortar. The anise and fennel were toasted in a frying pan, then put
in a mortar with celery seed and walnut, and ground. After it was all boiled together, it was put in a cloth bag and the liquid drained out and used.
Reference
Kitab al Tibakhah, A Fifteenth-Century Cookbook, Charles Perry, tr.
The translation was published in Petis Propos Culinaires #21. The
original author is Ibn al-Mabrad or Ibn
al-Mubarrad. Cited in The Islamic World - The Complete Anachronist
#51 , September 1990, SCA Inc.
So have fun...
Charles
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 02:17:12 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - SC murri
At 4:58 PM +1100 10/24/97, Charles McCN wrote:
>Someone asked what it was. the web address for this is
>http://www.mpce.mq.edu.au/~gnott/interests/NVG/article2_sup.html
>
>and the page says...
>Ok, if you really want to know what this stuff murri is, then cop a load
>of this! This recipe was kindly supplied by Rick Cullinan
>who has actually made it.
>
>Byzantine Murri
>Kitab Wasf, Sina'ah 52, p.56, Sina'ah 51, p. 65: Charles Perry tr.
>
<snip>
>
>Reference
>
> Kitab al Tibakhah, A Fifteenth-Century Cookbook, Charles Perry, tr.
> The translation was published in Petis Propos Culinaires #21. The
>original author is Ibn al-Mabrad or Ibn
> al-Mubarrad. Cited in The Islamic World - The Complete Anachronist
>#51 , September 1990, SCA Inc.
>
>So have fun...
>Charles
1. You or Rick is confusing your sources. Charles Perry did translate Ibn
al Mubarrad (as well as Manuscrito Anonymo), but it isn't the source for
his Byzantine Murri recipe--as you can tell by the notes just under the
title.
2. Nigella is an ingredient in Indian cooking, also known as kalonji or
black onion seed. I have no reason to believe it is poisonous, and
routinely use it in making Byzantine Murri without ill effects. There are
other things called "Nigella," however, and it is possible Rick was
thinking of one of them.
3. The recipe you have from Rick is the version in the _Miscellany_ at
least two editions back, via my article on Islamic cooking in C.A.; there
are a couple of changes, such as the comment on Nigella and translating my
ounces of bread to grams. The "I" in the recipe you gave is me, not Rick.
Since then, I got more information on what a Makkuk was. The result is to
drastically increase the amount of salt. The version in the current
Miscellany is:
- ---
The following quantities are for 1/32 of the above recipe.
3 T honey 2/3 t nigela 1 1/2 oz quince
1 1/2 oz bread or 1/3 c breadcrumbs 1/4 t saffron 1/2 c salt in 3 T honey
1 T wheat starch 1/3 t celery seed 1 pint water
2/3 t anise 1/4 oz carob = 1 T lemon (1/4 of one)
2/3 t fennel 1/4 oz walnut
Cook the honey in a small frying pan on medium heat, bringing it to a boil
then turning off the heat and repeating several times; it will taste
scorched. The bread is sliced white bread, toasted in a toaster to be
somewhat blackened, then mashed in a mortar. Toast the anise, fennel and
nigela in a frying pan or roast under a broiler, then grind in a mortar
with celery seed and walnuts. The quince is quartered and cored. Boil all
but the lemon together for about 2 hours, then put it in a potato ricer,
squeeze out the liquid and add lemon juice to it; this is the murri. The
recipe generates about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 c of liquid. You can then add
another 1/2 c of water to the residue, simmer 1/2 hr -1 hr, and squeeze out
that liquid for the second infusion, which yields about 1/3 c. A third
infusion using 1/3 c yields another 1/4 c or so.
- ---
David/Cariadoc
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 17:46:15 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re- eggs
Stefan asked some questions about the Andalusian recipe for stuffed eggs;
>Any idea what *murri* is?
Real murri was an ingredient made by a long process of fermentation; it has
evidently not been made since about the 14th or 15th century. Think of it
as occupying the same position in medieval Islamic cuisine as soysauce in
modern Chinese--fermented, strongly flavored, salty flavoring liquid where
a lot is made at once, then you put a spoonful or two of it into half the
things you cook. (Note that I am not saying it tastes like soy sauce).
There was also a period fake murri made from scorched honey, burnt bread,
quince, anise, fennel, carob (only period use for carob I've seen), etc,
etc., salt. The recipe for this is in the Miscellany, and this is what we
use when recipes call for murri. You make up a batch, then keep it in the
refrigerator for months, using it when you are doing medieval Islamic
cooking. One of my best-received feast dishes ever was lamb in a marinade
based on murri and honey (also in the Miscellany, one of the Tabahaya
recipes).
Elizabeth of Dendermonde/Betty Cook
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 17:46:15 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re- eggs
Stefan asked some questions about the Andalusian recipe for stuffed eggs;
>Any idea what *murri* is?
Real murri was an ingredient made by a long process of fermentation; it has
evidently not been made since about the 14th or 15th century. Think of it
as occupying the same position in medieval Islamic cuisine as soysauce in
modern Chinese--fermented, strongly flavored, salty flavoring liquid where
a lot is made at once, then you put a spoonful or two of it into half the
things you cook. (Note that I am not saying it tastes like soy sauce).
There was also a period fake murri made from scorched honey, burnt bread,
quince, anise, fennel, carob (only period use for carob I've seen), etc,
etc., salt. The recipe for this is in the Miscellany, and this is what we
use when recipes call for murri. You make up a batch, then keep it in the
refrigerator for months, using it when you are doing medieval Islamic
cooking. One of my best-received feast dishes ever was lamb in a marinade
based on murri and honey (also in the Miscellany, one of the Tabahaya
recipes).
Elizabeth of Dendermonde/Betty Cook
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 22:05:06 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - fermented murri
At 11:14 PM -0500 11/1/97, LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> There are exrznt recipes for real murri im Cariadoc's Collections of
>Medieval Recipes. However, he also conveys the warning that if the real murri
>recipes atr followed the resulting sauce is extremely carcinogenic. For me I
>think I'll stick to the Byzantine fake maurri.
I have a good deal of information on the subject from Charles Perry. The
conjecture about its being carcinogenic is from him; I'm not inclined to
take it too seriously, but I could be wrong.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 13:01:14 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: SC - Murri: Late Breaking News
I just spoke on the phone to Charles Perry, who translated _Manuscrito
Anonimo_ and Ibn al Mubarad and knows more about medieval Islamic cooking
than anyone else I know. He has made murri and will describe the process in
an article in this weekend's L.A. Times (he's a food editor there).
He says it is similar, both in taste and chemical composition, to soy
sauce! Of course, it does not contain any soy beans--but apparently the
cheaper grades of soy sauce, although they have some soy beans, are based
in part on grains, as is murri. He no longer believes that it is
sufficiently carcinogenic to be a problem--a conjecture he once offered to
explain its disappearance.
Incidentally, if any of you are actually engaged in translating period
Arabic cookbooks (I have a hard time keeping track of who is doing what),
Perry is willing to correspond on the subject.
The reason I had called him was to ask permission to web his translation of
_Manuscrito Anonimo_. He says I can, but he wants to make some corrections
first.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1998 08:59:54 -1000
From: Paul Buell <pdbuell at sprintmail.com>
To: "MEDIEV-L at raven.cc.ukans.edu" <MEDIEV-L at raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Subject: Arabic Rotten Condiments
Food historian Gene Anderson was good enough to sent this news to me and
I thought it might be of interest to the list. Perry, the acknowledged
expert in Medieval Arabic and Turkic foods, is food critic for the Los
Angeles Times. This is not the first rotted condiment he has re-created.
He did bunn several years ago, and some others. I don't know if
Anderson's party guests survived.
<snip>
- --Charles Perry re-created murri, the rotted barley paste condiment of
medieval Arabia. He followed the most likely recipe but tried out 2 others
(which proved abortive). Barley meal, made into wet lumps, covered with fig
leaves, left in warm place for 4 months (there are some other
manipulations). The LATimes staff gave names to each lump--"Whiskers,"
"Spot," etc.--according to the moldiness. Anyway, the 4 months were up
March 28, and they tried it out. The murri is to be mushed up in water. So
they did:
"...and it tasted like...
Soy sauce."
Turns out that murri is basically a koji, and the resulting sauce is
essentially just ordinary soy sauce. So he wrote it up in the LAT Food
Section, and gave a recipe for a dish with it--you can, of course, use soy
sauce if you don't want to let barley rot for 4 months in your kitchen. I'm
gonna try it for a party tomorrow.
Gene Anderson
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 23:16:38 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Arabic Rotten Condiments (fwd)
>GREAT!! It takes a year to make good soy sauce, this might be a shortcut!! Or
>is it GOOD soy sauce?? Well, not so good soy had wheat in it too...
As I think I mentioned when I posted on this some days ago--before the LA
Times article--Charles Perry suggested that cheap soy sauce would have a
higher ratio of wheat to soy, so be closer to murri.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 19:35:57 -0700
From: "needlwitch at msn.com" <needlewitch at email.msn.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Ingredient question
>I am working on a Spanish/Andalusian feast and have come across the
>ingredient "murri" several times, especially in relation to stuffed
>eggs.
>
>Does anyone know what this is and where I could find it or how to make
>it? (BTW, I am going to a Middle Eastern specialty store this weekend.)
>
>Failenn
Murri
The 13th-century Islamic recipes frequently contain an ingredient translated
as "murri" or "almori." It is one of a group of condiments that were popular
in early Islamic cooking and vanished sometime after the fourteenth century.
Al-Baghdadi gives the following recipes for murri; if you try one and it
works out, let me know. According to Charles Perry, the translator of the
Kitab al Tibakhah mentioned above, the penny-royal in these recipes is a
mis-translation and should be budhaj (rotted barley). He gives the following
instructions for making budhaj:
"All the recipes concur that budhaj was made from barley flour (or a mixture
of barley and wheat) kneaded without leaven or salt. Loaves of this dough
were rotted, generally in closed containers for 40 days, and then dried and
ground into flour for further rotting into the condiments."
(First recipe)
Take 5 ratls each of penny-royal and flour. Make the flour into a good dough
without leaven or salt, bake, and leave until dry. Then grind up fine with
the penny-royal, knead into a green trough with a third the quantity of
salt, and put out into the sun for 40 days in the heat of the summer,
kneading every day at dawn and evening, and sprinkling with water. When
black, put into conserving jars, cover with an equal quantity of water,
stirring morning and evening: then strain it into the first murri. Add
cinnamon, saffron and some aromatic herbs.
(Second recipe)
Take penny-royal and wheaten or barley flour, make into a dry dough with hot
water, using no leaven or salt, and bake into a loaf with a hole in the
middle. Wrap in fig leaves, stuff into a preserving-jar, and leave in the
shade until fetid. Then remove and dry.
As you can see, making murri is an elaborate process, and tasting
unsuccessful experiments might be a hazardous one; Charles Perry, who has
done experiments along these lines, warns that the products may be seriously
carcinogenic.
In addition to the surviving recipes for murri, there are also at least two
surviving references to what was apparently a fake murri, a substitute made
by a much simpler process. If one cannot have real murri, period fake murri
seems like the next best thing. The recipe is as follows:
Byzantine Murri
Kitab Wasf, Sina'ah 52, p. 56, Sina'ah 51, p. 65: Charles Perry tr.
Description of byzantine murri [made] right away: There is taken, upon the
name of God the Most High, of honey scorched in a nuqrah [perhaps this word
means 'a silver vessel'], three ratls; pounded scorched oven bread, ten
loaves; starch, half a ratl; roasted anise, fennel and nigella, two uqiyahs
of each; byzantine saffron, an uqiya; celery seed, an uqiyah; syrian carob,
half a ratl; fifty peeled walnuts, as much as half a ratl; split quinces,
five; salt, half a makkuk dissolved in honey; thirty ratls water; and the
rest of the ingredients are thrown on it, and it is boiled on a slow flame
until a third of the water is absorbed. Then it is strained well in a clean
nosebag of hair. It is taken up in a greased glass or pottery vessel with a
narrow top. A little lemon from Takranjiya (? Sina'ah 51 has Bakr Fahr) is
thrown on it, and if it suits that a little water is thrown on the dough and
it is boiled upon it and strained, it would be a second (infusion). The
weights and measurements that are given are Antiochan and Zahiri [as] in
Mayyafariqin.
1 ratl = 12 uqiya = 1 pint
1 Makkuk = 7.5-18.8 liters dry measure
Thorbjorn the Cook
Shittemwoode/Antir
{Northwest Washington}
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 10:57:21 EST
From: Acanthusbk at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Murri
Mordonna22 at aol.com writes:
> LrdRas at aol.com writes:
> > I made the Byzantine Murri but I did include Barley in my seed order
> > so I could try the original in the fall. :-)
> Do let us know how it turns out. I'm not sure I would be brave enough to
> try it. The recipes I have seen seem to me to be a sure breeding ground for
> ergot or one of it's cousins.
Just last week I reread an interesting paper, _Medieval Near Eastern Rotted