SC - Turnsole?

[Elise Fleming]

Greetings!  I was hoping that Cindy Renfrow would toss in the material 
from the article on period food colors we have been struggling with.  
Here are my pre-Cindy-contribution notes.  Turnsole might actually 
refer to several plants.  Take your pick!

 Heliotrope.  This would be the French flower, not the modern one 
according to one SCA cook. I have not found a period reference except 
by the name "turnsole".  See the next entry.

 Turnsole.  See _Du Fait de Cuisine_.  It recommends a good deal of 
turnsole and soak it in milk.  _The French Cook_ by Varenne (1653) 
mentions turnsole grated in water with a little powder of Iris.  
Turnsole must be used with an alkali to produce blue rather than red.

Alkanet and orchil.  See Scully's _The Viandier of Taillevent_ and 
_Forme of Cury_.  Alkanet's color isn't as pronounced as orchil.  
Prescott's version of Taillevent calls "orchil" as "turnsole".  _Du 
Fait de Cuisine_ says to clarify oil, add lots of alkanet, boil well 
and not much; strain it.  Scully in _Chiquart's 'On Cookery'_ 
identifies orchil as a lichen, "Gozophora (sic) tinctoria" which 
changes color:  red with acids, blue with alkalies.  Chiquart also 
calls orchil "tornesaut" or "tornesautz."  See "turnsole" below and 
note similarity of scientific plant name.  Chemist: Alkanet is also 
"anchusa tinctoria L." in Brunello's book.  It is also listed as 
"alkanna tinctoria" and used for coloring wines, cosmetics, 
confectionery.  Orchil is a name for a French dye derived from lichens 
"ochrolechia tartarea L." and "lecanoraceae"; used as a coloring agent 
for syrups and  elixirs; listed in Merck index.  The chemist continues 
that turnsole is listed by Thompson as "crozophora tinctoria"; it is 
red with an acid; violet with a neutral substance; blue with an alkali

Aly7s Katharine, always glad to muddy the waters!


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