[Sca-cooks] Too much spice/Blancmange

[Marian Deborah Rosenberg]

--- Ruth Frey wrote:

> Another complication is that sometimes amounts are probably given
> in terms of the cost of the ingredient, as in 'a denier's worth
> of cinnamon'.  There is ongoing controversy about whether it was
> really based on value; or whether 'denier' meant a specific small
> weight, or specific small volume, in such circumstances.

	For all we know, they meant a quantity to match the weight
of the coin itself . . .
--- end of quote ---

Aye, one of the goodies I recently picked up a book sale was Mrs Hill's New
Southern Cookbook.  Among other types of weights and measures are tea cups,
wineglasses, and eggs.  My absolute favorite is the recipe WITHOUT ANY EGGS
that calls for "five eggs worth of flour."

It only gets more confusing the farther back in time you go.

-M