SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #1863

[Grimmund]

And it came to pass on 29 Jan 00,, that Stefan li Rous wrote:

[quoting my translation from Lobera de Avila]
> > It remains to speak of water, because many gentlemen and lords drink it,
> > so I will speak of its selection and benefits.  
> 
> And this is also VERY interesting. I believe we have discussed here
> whether plain water was drunk in our period. This is perhaps the clearest
> evidence that I have seen that it was indeed done and not because that was
> all they had.
> 
> Brighid, does he go on to talk about selecting water to drink and it's
> benefits? 

He does -- and its dangers, too.  Chapter XIII is all about water.

>If so, I would love to have a translation of that section.

When I have a chance, but I suspect that you will find it disappointing.  
Remember, this is a health manual, and it reflects what the medical 
profession said that people *should* eat and drink, not necessarily what 
they *did* eat and drink.  He goes into details about cooking water with 
various herbs and foodstuffs for medicinal purposes (such as barley to 
counteract heat, or licorice for urinary difficulties).  Moderate 
consumption of cold water is recommended for people of a choleric 
temperament who have no medical reasons to avoid it.  And he quotes 
several ancient authorities on the potential dangers of water, and how it 
may disturb the digestive process.

On the other hand, the section on wine (Chapter XI) states that wine is 
the most common beverage, and therefore he will begin by discussing 
it.  Wine -- good wine, taken moderately -- comforts the stomach, aids 
digestion, cheers the heart, prevents decay of the humours, and 
engenders good spirits.

Cheers,
Brighid


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net