SC - Alojas/Aloxas -- Spanish/Catalan confection (long and polyglot)
Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net
Wed Aug 30 20:46:58 PDT 2000
And it came to pass on 30 Aug 00,, that TG wrote:
> << If someone (Thomas?) would care to translate the Latin here, I'd be
> grateful. >>
>
> Well, I can try...
Thank you!
> Concordia pharmacopolarum Barcinonensium
> Common book/pharmacopoeia of the apothecaries of Barcelona
>
> "ALOSA COMMUNIS PECTORALIS USUALIS.
> ordinary Alosa good for the chest/lung
>
> Rx (=Recipe)
> Take
> Sacchari albissimi -- uncias quinque
> Of most white sugar -- five ounces
> Aquae Rosarum -- uncias quator
> Of rose water -- four ounces
> Amyli recentissimi -- unciam unam
> Of most fresh starch -- one ounce
> Olei Amygdalorum |
> dulcium recentissimi | -- unciam semissem
> Of most fresh oil of sweet almondtrees [or: milk of sweet almonds?] --
> half an ounce
I think this must be oil. The Catalan recipe specifies that almond oil
should be added if the conserve is being used as a rememdy for chest
conditions.
> Misce & coque in diplomate ad justam crassitiem."
> Mix it and cook it in a diploma [a double sided cooking vessel with
> water in between the two sides] until it has the right thickness/
> viscosity
This was very helpful. The proportions are about the same as in the
_Manual de Mugeres_ recipe. And though the Catalan recipe gives
quantities, I have no idea how much "two loaves" of starch would be.
So tonight I did a quick experiment. I tried redacting the Catalan recipe,
without the underlayer of marzipan. I boiled 8 ounces of sugar with half
a cup each of rosewater and tap water. When it reached the thread
stage (approx. 234 F/110 C), I stirred in 1.5 ounces of wheat starch
(approx. 7 TBS) which had been dissolved in 4 TBS rosewater. I
continued boiling and stirring for about 5 minutes, until the mixture
became thick and viscous. I then poured it into a 8x8" glass baking pan
that was lightly greased with almond oil. (If I'd been following the
complete recipe, there would have been a layer of 8 ounces of marzipan
underneath, to keep the aloxa from sticking.) The baking dish is still
cooling, but a small spoonful of syrup that I poured into another bowl
was chewy, but not gooey, kind like a soft jellybean. I have some
reservations about the amount of rosewater in the recipe, and I wonder if
medieval rosewater was weaker than the bottled stuff I get at the Indian
grocery store. To me, the aloxa seemed to intensely rose-flavored,
though my lord thought it wasn't strong enough. However, it may be
that the addition of the marzipan layer with diffuse the rose flavor a bit.
But that's an experiment for another day...
Thomas, thank you again for the translation.
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net
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