[Sca-cooks] Re: Period Jewish wine additive - OT

[Decker, Terry D.]

Not ouzo; retsina.

The translator was S.D. Goitein, who was a noted authority on medieval
Jewish/Islamic culture and history.  I'm going to assume that he made a
proper translation and can differentiate between honey and jar (both of
which are used in the translation).  I suspect that this recipe is extracted
from "A Mediterranean Society," which is a study of Jewish communities under
Islamic rule, in particular, Cairo.  If that is the case, then there may be
cultural crossover in the original text and the language may not be pure
Hebrew.

If this is from one of the Cairo documents, then "jarra" is likely a general
measure in common usage.  A transcription of the original and the
translator's notes would be very handy in working with this recipe because
of the possible cross cultural references.

The spicing and use of resin is, in my opinion, more consistent with trying
to preserve wine than producing mead.  As stated in the translation, the
resin is put in the jar rather than used to seal it.  It also comes to my
mind that this might be a resin such as myrrh rather than common pine resin,
but that is pure speculation.

The lichen is a puzzler.  It would be interesting to identify the area this
comes from and try to identify the lichen.

The "dirhem" is the general medieval Arabic equivalent of the silver penny,
but of roughly double the weight.  The name derives from the Greek
"drachma."  Silver pennies are 1/240 of a pound of silver, so the dirhem is
1/120 of a pound of silver or 3 grams.

Bear

> It might not be "jar" but "honey," one of the ingredients in
> the concoction=
> .  One
> of my name lists includes "Jarah", a Hebrew girl's name
> meaning "honey."  I=
> t
> appears that this derives from "ya'ar" as seen at
> <http://www.sacrednamebible.com/kjvstrongs/STRHEB32.htm>:
>
<clipped>
>
> To throw another measurement into the mix, Cariadoc notes in
> the Miscellany=
> :
> "Note: a dirhem, according to the introduction to al-Bagdadi,
> is 1/120 lb =
> =3D 2/15
> oz; 1 1/2 dirhem
> pepper =3D 1/5 oz =3D 2 1/4 t."
>
> All it all, I'm not at all sure about the inclusion of Lichen
> in such a bev=
> erage,
> and unless the colophony is part of the jar's seal this could
> be awfully
> pine-flavored.  Jewish Ouzo?
>
> Selene Colfox
>