Humors & end of meals ( was RE: [Sca-cooks] cordials)

[Nick Sasso]

> -----Original Message-----
> > I don't have time to look it up, but I recall readiing that
> drinking
> > (pretty much anything) after meals would interfere with digestion.
>
> Well... (sez Jadwiga, catching up with her email)
> There are a number of recipes for drinks to be taken after meals,
> including hypocras; the idea is that wine and spices would help the
> digestion. Perhaps the laurel in question was thinking of
> spiced wines
> as cordials?


Consider that one generally wants to "close the stomach" after a meal.  the
stomach uses the food to produce the four homours, and needs to close after
a meal to percolate, so to speak.  Food and drink that will close the
stomach, like cheeses, would be desirable at the end of a meal to maximize
the production of good, strong humors and minimize the by-products and weak
humor production.  Herbs and wines that are specifically to close the system
are what you want.

I lack good references at hand to give examples, though.

niccolo difrancesco