SC - Chemical heating?

[Thomas Gloning]

There are two German recipes where the use of unslaked lime in the field
of cookery is mentioned:

- -- From a 15th century Zürich manuscript
"Wiltu ein ey braten in einem brunnen, so nim ein tuch vnd tu dar in
vngelöste kalk vnd das ey dar in vnd henk es in den brunnen".
Roughly: 'If you want to cook an egg in a well/in water, take a
cloth/rag, put unslaked lime into it, put the egg into it and hang it
into the well/water'.

- -- From a 15th century Konstanz manuscript
"10.1. wiltu ain hünlin süden on für vnd on wasser, so nim zwo zinin
schüschlen vnd zerschlach daz hu:on in fier tail vnd tu:o daz in die
schüsslen. vnd tu:o schmalcz vnd win vnd salcz dar in, vnd stürz die
schuslen über andren vnd mach ainen taig vnd verstrich die schüslen, da
mit daz kain tunst dar vs gang, vnd secz die schüsslen vf ainen kalch
stain vnd bedek si mit kalch stain vmb vnd vmb, vnd nim win vnd schüt
der kalch stain, daz es durch nider rin, so wirt daz hu:on gesotten
bald."
Roughly: 'If you want to cook chicken without fire and without water,
take two tin dishes, divide the chicken into four parts and put these
parts into the dishes. Add grease, wine and salt and put the dishes one
over the other. Prepare a dough and make the dishes tight with the dough
so that no vapor/steam gets out. Put the dishes onto lime and put lime
stones all over the dishes. Then take wine and pour it over the lime so
that it runs/drips through the lime stones, then the chicken will be
cooked soon'.

The source for both recipes: Trude Ehlert: Die (Koch-)Rezepte der
Konstanzer Handschrift A I 1. Edition und Kommentar. In: Ingrid Kühn/
Gotthard Lerchner (eds.): Von wyßheit würt der mensch geert...
Festschrift Manfred Lemmer. Frankfurt a.M. 1993, 39-64.

According to a chemist, Trude Ehlert asked, it is possible to cook a
chicken this way, if there is enough supply of lime and water/wine (see
note 43).

Thomas