SC - Re: Worm Recipe (plus a "new" book)

[Elise Fleming]

In response to my comment that I had submitted a recipe using worms to 
Petit Propos Culinaires, Stefan wrote:

>Was this worm recipe medieval?

Medieval, no.  Extremely late period, depending on one's view of 
"period".  It was from either _The Complete Cook_ or _The Queen's 
Delight_ by "W.M." from 1655.  I don't recall the source now, but I 
found one for pregnant women which included horse dung.

By the bye, I received a copy of _The Elixirs of Nostradamus_ 
("Nostradamus' original recipes for elixirs, scented water, beauty 
potions and sweetmeats"), edited by Knut Boeser, printed by Moyer Bell, 
1994.  ISBN is 1-55921-155-5.  Most of his facial and skin preparations 
include lead and other dangerous compounds.

The second part of this book contains sweetmeats:  preserved lemon 
peel, pumpkins, bitter oranges, walnuts, bitter cherries; a transparent 
jelly from bitter cherries and one from quinces (Who was looking for 
documentation for jelly??); ginger water; preserving roots of eryngos, 
welted thistle; preserving limes, quinces, unripe almonds; preserving 
the peel or rind of alkanet; candied sugar; pine-nut kernel confection; 
marzipan; and penide sugar.

A comment on the recipe for a confection from pine-nut kernels:  There 
is a painting in the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Renaissance which 
has, I am convinced, a picture of this confection.  I had been on the 
prowl for art work with confections and spotted this in an alcove.  I 
sketched the candy which is somewhat cube-shaped with white ovals in 
it.  Only after I read this recipe did the picture and the recipe come 
together.  Now I need to find pine nuts and try it out.

Alys Katharine
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