Man-d-Mujeres-art - 4/19/01 Selected redactions from the "Manual de Mujeres" by Lady Serian. This is a Spanish herbal that contains recipes for such things as remedies, soap, incense, scent, and a few food recipes written anonymously around 1500 AD. NOTE: See also the files: herb-uses-msg, herbs-msg, spices-msg, p-herbals-msg, perfumes-msg, soap-msg, Mouthwash-art, handcream-msg, cosmetics-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author. While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file. Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Queen's Prize 2001 Entry by Lady Serian Serian at qwest.net Translation of a Spanish herbal and preparation of recipes Herbal Manual de Mujeres en el qual se contienen muchas y diversas recetas muy buenas Manual of Women in Which is Contained Many and Diverse Recipes That Are Very Good Written anonymously around 1500 AD. Sources Manual de Mukeres webbed version Copyright © Universidad de Alicante, Banco Santander Central Hispano 1999-2000 Diccionario real Cassell's Spanish/English dictionary Various people who have helped with botanical words and translation Background This is a Spanish herbal that contains recipes for such things as remedies, soap, incense, scent, and a few food recipes. I got interested in this because of someone on the SCA Cooks email list. Someone was interested in it but did not read Spanish. My Spanish is a bit rusty, but working on this translation has gotten me to start renewing my skill. This is definitely a work in progress. I encourage anyone who is knowledgeable in this area to provide pointers. The anonymous author of this work uses a number of words that are of Arabic origin. There are a great many botanical words and references to specific weights and measures that we do not use in modern times. I have included with the translation in progress a list of botanical words and measures, and in the translation I have included in parentheses equivalents for measures. There are a couple of words for which I do not have their meaning. "Escudillo" means bowl, but since it is used so consistently throughout along with other specific measures, I think it was probably a specific measurement. Based on the recipes and a hunch, I imagine it was about a quart. Another interesting things regarding measures is that many of the recipes have specifics mentioned, such as an ounce or a dram (1/8 ounce), but also mention using parts, such as a quarter or half part. The redaction challenge is determining in these recipes a quarter and half of how much. There are other interesting translation notes. For example, "a mano" generally means "by hand," but in a few recipes that use a mortar, "mano" refers to the hand of the mortar, or the pestle. Also, there are often several words used to describe the same thing. For example, "almàciga," "almàstica" and "mata" all mean mastic. "Mortero," and "àlmirez" mean mortar. "Almidòn" and "Alambique" both mean a still, as to make plant essences. "Escudillo" is the only word used to describe bowl. The Recipes I created First I would like to mention that I have never made incense or soap before. This is a fun project for someone who enjoys concocting things. I have some knowledge of herbs and aromatherapy, which was helpful for this project. 2. Pebetes de olor Tres onzas de menjuí, una onza de estoraque, media onza de ámbar, dos onzas de carbón de sauz muerto en agua de azahar, una onza de gum de gante deshecha en agua almizclada, medio cuarto de almizcle, un cuarto de algalia, otro cuarto de lináloe. Todas estas cosas molidas y pasadas por cedazo. Pastarlas con agua almizclada y poner con ellas medio cuarto de azúcar, y hecha la masa hacer los pebetes y secarlos a la sombra. Incense Sticks Three ounces of benzoin, one ounce of balsam, half ounce of amber, two ounces of willow soot killed in orange blossom water, one ounce of gum tragacanth dissolved in musk water, one-eighth part of musk, quarter part of civet, another quarter part of aloe vera. Pound all these things and pass them through a sieve. Make a paste with a little musk water and put with these one-eighth part of sugar, and make the mass into logs and dry them in the shade. I made some substitutions here. Instead of using musk water I used orange blossom water this time. Though it does not specify, it is like other recipes that are put in a small pot over fire with some musk water or orange blossom water or something similar, and is burned until it uses up the water. I like the result. 3. Cazoleta de olor Una onza de menjuí, y media onza de estoraque, un cuarto de onza de ámbar y otro de almizcle. Molidas todas estas cosas, y puestas al fuego en una cazuelica con medio cuarto de agua almizclada y otro medio de algalia. Y dejarla al fuego hasta que sea bebida el agua. Little Scent Pots One ounce of benzoin, and one half ounce of balsam, a quarter ounce of amber and another of musk. Mash all these things and put on the fire a little pot with one-eighth part of musk water and another half of civet. And leave it on the fire until it has used up the water. I used oils of musk and amber, and substituted frankincense with pine essence for balsam, which I cannot find at the moment. This could be burned in the sort of censor that has a candle below and a small pot above. Floral water could easily replace the musk and civet waters, as it will serve the purpose and is a good deal less expensive. 4. Jabón para el rostro Dos onzas de jabón blanco escaldado en agua hirviendo dentro de un paño y colado por el paño; y un cuarto de almáciga, y medio cuarto de encienso, y un cuarto de borras y una onza de azúcar blanco. Molidas todas estas cosas, y pasadas por cedazo, pastarlas con el jabón y ponerlo en sus botecicos, y poner en cada botecico una gota de ros de bota. Soap for the Face Two ounces of white soap scalded in water made in a cloth and strained in a cloth, and a quarter of mastic, and an eighth of frankincense, and a quarter of borax and one ounce of white sugar. Mash together these things and pass them through a sieve, (make) paste with the soap and put into your little cylindrical boxes, and put in each little box a drop of red/rose of the wineskin. (possibly a drop of red wine dregs? That is what my best guess for "ros de bota.") Here is one of the recipes that uses both ounce measures and part measures (two ounces of soap, a quarter part of mastic). I used three tablespoons of white sugar, a tablespoon as my quarter part measure and half a tablespoon as my eighth part measure. The result wasn't bad until the soot went in, at which point it became something I would not be in a hurry to wash with! I will probably experiment with this again sometime. 9. Pasticas confortativas para perfumar Anime, lináloe, azúcar rosado, grasa, encienso y estoraque. Molido todo en un almirez, tanto de uno como de otro partes iguales. Y pastado con agua almizclada hacer sus pasticas. Comforting pastes for perfuming Hymenaea courbaril resin, aloe vera, rose sugar (sugar infused with rose), grease, frankincense and balsam. Pound all in a mortar, as much one as the other, each in equal parts, and make a paste with musk water and make your little pastes (or maybe pastes shaped like lozenges or something similar). I had to make some substitutions this time around. I have not been able to find hymenaea courtbani resin, so I substituted benzoin, because it is also a resin and is used in this document. My aloe was in gel form, so I cut the oil by 1/2. I could not find balsam; instead, I used myrrh and put in pine essential oil 6 drops and 2 drops of rosewood to approximate. I will keep looking for the balsam for future competitions. After I made this I found pine resin, which I could use in future. 31. Lavatorio para las manos Una naranja asada en el rescoldo y serenada en una escudilla de vino blanco. Lavarse de noche las manos con ella, cuando se vayan acostar, y a la mañana, con talvina cocida de higos negros, y plumas de gallina negra y canina de perro blanca. Wash for the hands An orange roasted in embers, and let to rest in a bowl of white wine. Wash yourself at night the hands with it (wash your hands with it at night), when you go to bed, and in the morning, with porridge cooked of black figs, and feathers of a black hen, and canine tooth of a white dog. This did not take a high degree of creativity, but I have never had a hand wash like it, so I made some. I made a fire in the fireplace to roast the orange and put it in some wine. Post script: The hand wash is actually a tasty beverage. As its intended hand wash, I thought it would leave the hands sticky, but it doesn't. 27. Polvos para sacar color Los polvos para sacar color al rostro son polvos de la mar y llámanse sosa. Powders to take out color (of the face) The powders for taking color from the face are powders of the sea and call themselves kelp. I had never heard of using kelp powder for anything but food or bath salts. I have brought some to show them. Again, it is a matter of interest, not creativity. I did nothing to prepare the kelp powders except to put them into a container. Post Script: one of my evaluators wondered if perhaps the kelp was to be cooked first as it makes a thick substance when boiled. This is certainly possible, and I may try it. I do not know why the recipe would specify powders if something more needed done, but I do not know, and am only making conjectures myself. 90. Ayuda muy buena Tres onzas de olio violado, otras tres de olio de manzanilla y otras tres de manteca de vacas. Todo junto y tibio. Very Good Help Three ounces of violet oil, another three of oil of chamomile and another three of cow grease. All together and tepid. It does not say what this is good help for, but chamomile is calming and violet is good for the skin. I would not use cow fat for safety reasons, but substituted sweet almond oil this time. A different carrier oil could make thicker result, or one could melt some beeswax with it and make an ointment. Note that the proportion of essences to carrier is quite high in this recipe. Post Script: this makes a wonderful, if expensive, massage oil. I will add more of a carrier oil to it and use it mundanely once I am finished competing with it. (I am mundanely a massage therapist.) ------ Copyright 2001 by Ronda J. Del Boccio. . Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy. If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan. Edited by Mark S. Harris Man-d-Mujeres-art Page 5 of 5