HERB - Sugar-Candy of Roses (long ramble)

[Gaylin Walli]

Raphaela wrote:
>Sugar of Roses can also mean the sap of the rose bush cooked down
>and sugared and I don't mean with sugar.  Sap of several "trees"
>can be cooked down and used as sugar and I have seen this term used
>before in recipes brought to the America's for the settlers.

If it's this, then I'm in a quandry. I can't find any other description
of Sugar-Candy of Rose preparation in the references I have in Porta's
book. Because of its place in the actual recipe, I'm not sure if I can
positvely say it's a solid or a liquid. Drachm can be used as both a
solid or a liquid measurement. According to the old references I have.

The ingredient's placement in the amount portion of the recipe doesn't
really give us a clue. Presumeably listed in order, though I can't
say what. Only preparation order, perhaps, based on the instructions
that follow the ingredients listed.

Raphaela might be on to something when she says rose syrup
(candied sap, essentially) is the correct ingredient. The amount of
Sugar-Candy of Roses is listed as one drachm, not one ounce like
the rest of the apparently solid ingredients. However....

Camphire, which I read as camphor, could also mean the plant
parts that you are required to crush in the mortar along with the
Sugar-Candy of roses and other things that need to be powdered and
subsequently steep in the waters with the rest of the ingredients.
Porta says:

  ".... Powder what are to be powdered finely, and mix
  them with the waters."

He then goes on to say that this doesn't include the aloe because
the aloe doesn't powder, it gets squishy. Then he gives specific
instructions for preparing the Aloe separately. The only other
ingredient that gets prepare separately is the Tutty. I don't know
how Camphire was traditionally prepared.

Even distillation manuals in and near period don't give
us a clear clue. This is from a recipe called "Pectoral
water" in John French's _Art of Distillation_ book (a bit OOP,
dated at 1651):

    "....This water sweetened with sugar candy and drunk to the
    quantity of three or four ounces twice in a day is very good
    for those that are ptisical."

We can hardly think to drink something with floaties in it such that
would be true if candied roses were used, right? They might have, though.
However, in the same book it also says that to make an oil of sugar

   "Take of the best white sugar *candy* and imbibe it with the best
    spirit of wine ten times, after every time drying it again. Then
    hang it in a white silken bag in a moist cellar over a glass vessel
    that it may *dissolve* and drop into it. Evaporate the water in
    balneum, and in the bottom will the oil remain."

Sort of makes your head spin, doesn't it?

Darn darn darn. Solid? Liquid? Candied parts? Syrup? Anyone have
any other leads? This is like a mystery puzzle. You don't know
what the pieces are, and even once you get them together, you
have to figure out what the secret code is in order to get to the
grand prize at the end. What the heck was I thinking?  :)

Jasmine
jasmine at infoengine.com or g.walli at infoengine.com
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