SC - Verzusum

[david friedman]

At 6:31 PM -0500 11/9/98, Philippa Alderton wrote:
...
>Broth Which They Call Verzusum
>
>Cook the yolks of four fresh eggs, a half ounce of cinnamon, four ounces of
>sugar, just as many of orange juice, and two ounces of rose water, beaten
>together with a paddle and reduced to one mass in the same way we say
>saffron broth should be cooked. It would not even be wrong to add saffron
>to make it more pleasing. This kind of food is cosidered to be especially
>healthful in summer, for it gives much good nourishment, cools the liver,
>and represses the bile.
>
>I have several questions, here, and am hoping someone may be able to help a
>bit.
>
>First, what sort of ounce is he saying- volume, or weight? Isn't that an
>awful lot of cinnamon, if by weight? On the orange juice, is that four
>ounces, or a mass or volume the same as all the rest together? And what
>sort of "broth" is it? It looks to me like a dessert kind of thing, but it
>is preceeded and followed by several more savory type of dishes- groats in
>broth, millet in a pan, bean porridge, and the like. Any thoughts will be
>appreciated.
>
I would assume ounces are by weight--I don't know if fluid ounces (the
volume which would weigh an ounce if you were measuring water) were in use
yet. Yes, that's a fair amount of cinnamon--a tablespoon and a half, if I
remember correctly--but try it and see. It looks to me as if the orange
juice is four ounces. As to what sort of a "broth" it is, remember that
"broth" is just a translation for "iusculum", and I don't know how precise
a translation it is; this is certainly going to be sweet, but the idea that
all sweet things belong in the dessert course is, I believe, relatively
modern.

Let us know how it comes out.

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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