[Sca-cooks] Plague broth?

[Johnna Holloway]

These sorts of recipes or preventative prescriptions
turn up in the medical treatises sections along with other
various remedies. Alessio has various recipes for various plague
cures and waters scattered throughout his 4 volumes.
I did some quick checking this evening and found that in
this 1593 volume by Simon Kellwaye,  Gentleman,
entitled
Defensative against the plague,

there's a section on dietary information. No broth but there
is a pottage---
It reads:

that
For your pottage you may take in the sommer.
Parsly, Lettis, Sorrell, Endiue, Succorie. Sperage,
Hop-buds, Burnet, Borrage, Buglos, Time, Myntes, Ysop,
But in winter. Balme, Bi (gap: 1 letter) taine, Time,
Marigolde, Isoppe, Marioram,  Mynts and rue are good,

For your sallets, take
     Pimpernell, Purslane, Myntes, Sorrell, Horehounde, Yong cole,
    Hop-buds,Sperage, Time, Tops of fennell, Tarregon, Lettis,

And watercresses are good.

He continued that--

Capers are greatly commended being preserued in
Ui|negar, and eaten with a little Oyle and Uinegar, and so are Oliues
very good also.

For your sauce, the Iuice of a Lymon Citron or Orrenge is best,  the
Iuice of Sorrell and Uineger is also good.

All rawe fruites are to be refused, except those which tend to a sowre
tast, as Pomgarnards, dammaske Prunes Pippins, red and sowre Cherries,
and Walenuts, Quin|ches and Peares, preserued are verye good eaten after
meales.

All kinde of pulse is to be refused, as Beanes, Pease, and such like,
because they encrease winde and make rawe humors and ill Iuice in the body

Refraine from Garlike, Onyons, Leékes, Pepper, Musterd, and Rocket,
because they doe ouer heate the bo|dy, make adustion of the bloud, and
cause fumes to ascend into the head.

Cheése is not good because it doth engender grosse & thick humors.
Mylke is also to be refused because it doth quickly corrupt in the stomacke.

This may not be the earliest instance of this advice and it certainly
was repeated.
In 1652 the same advice (much the same text in fact  expanded from 40 
plus pages to over 60 pages)
appears in  Edwards' A treatise concerning the plague and the pox
discovering as well the meanes how to preserve from the danger of these
infectious contagions, as also how to cure those which are infected with
either of them.

Hope this helps.

Johnnae llyn Lewis






>Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...
>
>  
>
>>Does anyone have an recipe for "Anti-Plague Broth?"
>>
>>Supposedly, there were period broths to keep away the plague I am 
>>looking for one suitable to serve at a feast.
>>
>>Thailyn
>>    
>>
>
>Interesting question. I've never heard of such a thing- anybody else
>heard of it?
>
>Saint Phlip,
>CoDoLDS
>
>
>  
>