SC - Nerve Bisquits???

[Maryann Olson]

Greetings!

On 8/9/98, I was forwarded an e-mail with the noted recipe with this notation:

"Sound & Spirit Recipe for the Program "The Spirit of Hildegard."

Some information about Hildegard followed, then this:

"In a treatise on medicine, she provides a recipe for spice cookies:  'Eat
them often,' she says, 'and they will calm every bitterness of heart and
mind -- and your hearing and senses will open.  Your mind will be joyous,
and your senses purified, and harmful humours will diminish . . ."

The recipe follows; however, it is titled "St. Hildegard's Cookies of Joy,"
with the note:  "(Recipe reconstructed and adapted from Hildegard's circa
1157 treatise Physica:  Liber Simplicis Medicinae."  The note following the
recipe states, "Recipe researched for Sound & Spirit by Jeffrey Nelson with
the help of a gracious doctoral student who wished to remain anonymous."

The recipe given follows:

3/4 cup butter or margarine (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

"Let butter soften and then cream it with the brown sugar.  Beat in the egg.
Sift the dry ingredients.  Add half the dry ingredients and mix.  Add the
other half and mix thoroughly.  Dough may be chilled to make it workable.
Heat oven to 350 (degrees).  Form walnut sized balls of dough, place on
greased and floured cookie sheet and press flat.  Bake 12-15 minutes (till
edges of are golden brown.)  Cool for 5 minutes, remove from cookie sheet
and finish cooling on racks."

Gertraud

************************
At 09:13 PM 1/26/99 +1100, you wrote:
>Hi all.
>
>I just had this forwarded to me from a friend who knows I like cooking.
>Problem is, the only reference I have is the source stated on it, which I
>don't have.  They make really nice cookies, but it would be nice to say
>that they are period.
>Can anyone help me in this?  Does anyone have the text stated, or can
>reassure me enough so I can take them to the next pot-luck without hanging
>my head in shame?
>Thanx
>-Sianan
>
>Nerve bisquits
>
>  Physica (Hildegard af Bingen), 1175
>
>350 g butter
>500 g br brown sugar
>2 eggs
>1 1/2 teasp salt
>4 teasp baking powder
>850 g flour
>2 1/2 teasp nutmeg
>2 1/2 teasp cinnamon
>1/2 teasp cloves
>
>Mix butter and sugar till fluffy, add the eggs, flour, spices and work the
>dough well.
>Make into strings and store in a cold place. Cut into thinn slices and bake
>in c 200degrees C. for about 10 minutes. This makes about 250 cakes.
>
>
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