SC - Rayne's water buffalo

[allilyn@juno.com]

And it came to pass on 11 Mar 00,, that Thomas Gloning wrote:

> The two uses of Italian "agresto" or "agresta" for the unripe grapes and
> for verjuice are also observed in an article of Jaqueline Brunet and Odile
> Redon on "Vins, jus et verjus" [Wines, juices and verjuice in Italian
> cookbooks of the 14th and 15th centuries]. They say:

The same usage appears in Spanish.  "Agraz" refers both to the unripe 
grapes and to the juice thereof.  Sometimes the liquid is referred to as 
"zumo de agraz" (juice of unripe grapes), but the shorthand version is 
more usual.

Some recipes call for the grapes themselves.  Sometimes this is stated 
explicitly as "agraz entero" (whole unripe grapes).  Sometimes it is 
simply made clear by the context.  For example, a recipe in Granado for 
verjuice jelly contains the instruction to take the "agraz" and remove the 
seeds, then cook it with water and sugar until it comes apart; obviously, 
this refers to the fruit, not the juice.  There is a recipe in de Nola which 
uses the word in both its meanings.  "PARA HACER BUEN AGRAZ 
CONFORTATIVO"  (To make a good comforting verjuice).  The 
instructions are to take "agraz" and crush it in a mortar to extract the 
juice, adding leaves of basil.


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