[Sca-cooks] Duke's powder

[Stefan li Rous]

Vicente said:
> >Duke's Powder ==
>
> Okay, this one I know.  A spice mixture, featuring mainly sugar.  From de
> Nola (1529 edition):
> Polvora Duque (Duke's Powder)
> Cinnamon half an ounce; cloves half a quarter; and for lords only add
> cinnamon, and a pound of sugar; if you wish it to have a sharp taste and
> make it good for passions of the stomach add a little ginger.
>
> I think it may also be in Llibre de Sent Sovi.

Here are some more recipes/translations for Duke's powder. This is from
a message from June, which is not yet in the spice-mixes-msg file.

> And here are two versions from the 1525 edition of Nola:
> POLUORA DE DUQUE -- Duke's Powder
> Cinnamon, half an ounce; ginger, half an ounce; cloves, one eighth;
> sugar, one pound; all this well ground and strained through a hair sieve
> so that it should be quite delicate and subtle, or at least just like the one
> for the sauces.
> POLUORA DE DUQUE DE OTRA MANERA
> Duke's Powder in another manner
> White ginger, two ounces; galangal, one eighth of an ounce; cinnamon,
> one ounce; long pepper, one ounce; grains of paradise, one ounce;
> nutmeg, one ounce; fine sugar, one pound; all this should be well ground
> and strained through a delicate hair sieve.
>
> And from the 1529 edition of Nola:
> POLVORA DE DUQUE - Duke's Powder Half an ounce of cinnamon;
> an eighth of cloves; and for the lords cast in nothing but cinnamon, and a
> pound of sugar; if you wish to make it sharp in flavor and [good] for
> pains in the stomach, cast in a little ginger.
>
> Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
> Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)

What I can't understand is the part about leaving out the cloves for
the lord. I assume that this is saying the higher rank should not
have the cloves or should have more cinnamon instead but why? I thought
both were expensive, imported spices.

These recipes give quantities, but they sure show a wide variation
in ingredients and quantities, while using the same name for the
mixture.

--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
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