[Sca-cooks] making vinegar

[Sandra Kisner]

>I don't suppose  you know of a period cookbook with an actual recipe for
>vinegar? I'm still having trouble documenting it.
>
>Elewyiss

Stere Htt Well ("A book of medieval refinements, recipes and remedies from 
a manuscript in Samuel Pepys's library" - Pepys Library ms 1047) has a 
recipe.  Though the Pepys is OOP, the ms. is perhaps 15th century.  This is 
a facing-page translation, with no redactions.  The Introduction by Delia 
Smith, on the other hand, is one of those hideous "disguise the smell 
and  flavour of decaying flesh" sorts of things (thank goodness for libraries).

To turn wine to vinegar or ale to alegar or cider to eisell
Take a pot and fill it full of wine, eisell or good ale and stop the mouth 
well so that nothing may get in or out and put in a vessel full of water 
and set the vessel on the fire and let the pot of wine boil in the same way 
a long while until it is turned.

This doesn't look like any modern instructions I've seen, and the whole 
"stop it well" seems counter to the "make wine vs make vinegar" 
aerobic/anaerobic bit.

Sandra