[Sca-cooks] Egg-Nog

[Stefan li Rous]

Daniel Raoul said:
> Was asked:
>     A queston for the list,we are heading quickly into the holidays
>       and I was wondering about the history of the ever popular
>     Egg-Nog.
>       Did it start life as Syllabube?
>       Is it a victorian creation?
>     What are some of the tasty variations you are familiar with?
>
> My best bet is posset.  There are several possets in Martha Washington's,

Or a caudle? I'm not that familar with what is "supposed" to go into
an egg nog and right now I can't remember the differances between a
"posset", a "caudle" and a "syllabub". But I think you foam up a
syllabub and I don't think you do that with egg nog. "A Sip Through
Time" does cover these different beverages.

Here are a few files in the BEVERAGES section that might be of use:
caudles-art       (12K) 11/21/97    A medieval drink of warm wine or
beer
                                       thickened with eggs by Tibor.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/caudles-art.html
caudls-posets-msg (12K)  9/21/01    Caudles and Possets. Thickened beverages.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/caudls-posets-msg.html

> I've misplaced my copy but I've done one of the sack possets several times
> to good effect.  The original recipe calls for 14 egg yokes ,7 egg whites, a
> pint of heavy cream, a half a pound of sugar, a cup of sherry, half a nutmeg
> and a bit of ambergris (essence of whale?).

Uh, no. Whales eat cuttlefish. They can't digest some parts of the
cuttlefish and they periodically regurgitate this, much as cats do
with hairballs. In period, this ambergris was found floating on the
water or washed ashore and collected and used in perfumes and some
foods. For a bit more on this, check this file in the PLANYS, HERBS
AND SPICES section of the Florilegium:
ambergris-msg     (12K)  9/11/01    Use of ambergris in period.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/PLANTS/ambergris-msg.html
--
THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas         stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****