SC - butter beer recipe

[Cindy M. Renfrow]

>Anyone have an idea how much a "penniworth" of Nutmeg or Ginger or cloves
>is?
>
>Also, this sound awlfully wastefull of pots. Sugar, eggs, beer and spices
>is one pot, then put this into another pot and then boil with sweet butter
>and then put into another pot. Or is this just the way it is written
>and the same physical pot could be used for all steps? And why does it
>specify a "pewter" pot? Why specify what the pot is made of? Are they
>leaching some of the lead out of the pot for flavor? Or just using
>a thick pot, rather than copper, to moderate the heat?

Hi.  Stuart Peachey, in his booklet "Early 17th century Imported Foods",
pp. 11-12, gives a table of spices and their costs (taken from Stuart-era
household accounts), and breaks some down by pennyweight.

He gives the approximate weight in ounces of one pennyworth of
Cloves as  0.25 oz.
Nutmeg     0.25 oz.
Mace       0.1 oz.
Cinnamon   0.17 oz.
Ginger     0.8 oz. (doesn't specify fresh or dried)
Pepper    1.0 oz.
Carraway seed 1.0 oz.


I count only 2 pots being used. In the end, the mixture is being poured
back and forth between one pot & another to mix it well, and possibly to
keep it from overheating.  You wouldn't want a mixture like this to boil
and clot the eggyolks.

I don't know why he specifies pewter pots.

Cindy