[Sca-cooks] Vinegar Making Instructions - England (or other countries) 1500

[Johnna Holloway]

It’s not 1500 but the English volume Maison rustique, or The countrey  
farme has full instructions.
CHAP. XIX.

Of the manner of making Vineger.

_VIneger commeth through the defect of wine, as wee may vnderstand by  
that which is gone before: the riotousnesse and pleasure of men, hath  
beene the cause that Vineger came euer in request, not onely for  
sauces, but also for many other vses: It shall not therefore be  
thought vnreaso|nable to vse a word or two about making of Vineger.

The most common way to make Vineger is on this sort: They vse to take  
good wine, and therewithall to fill the vessell to the halfe, leauing  
it vnstopt and set in a hot place, as in some corne loft, or in some  
gutter betwixt the tiles.

If you desire to make Vinegar in hast, you must cast into your wine,  
salt, pepper, and soure leuen mingled together: and yet to make it the  
more hastly, you must heat red hot some stone, tile, or gad of steele,  
and put it all hot into the wine, or else the mouth of the vessell  
must stand alwaies open, or else the vessell must be set in the Sunne  
three or foure daies and therewithall a little salt put in the  
vessell: or else fill a new earthen pot that is not halfe baked with  
wine, and stop it well, afterward put it in a kettle full of boiled  
water vpon the fire, and letting it there remaine a long time in the  
boiling water, it will grow soure; or else put into the wine a beete  
root stamped, or a radish root, or medlars, ceruises or hornes,  
mulberries, vnripe sloes, or a shiue of barley bread new baked: or  
else you must take of the blossomes of the cer|uise tree in there  
season, and drying them in the Sunne after the manner of rose-leaues,  
either in a glasse vessell, or in one of blacke earth, fill vp the  
same vessell with pure Vinegar or Wine, and so set it forth againe  
into the Sun or in the chimny end to the heate of the fire, and in a  
short time it will become strong and very sharpe Vineger: but if you  
would restore it againe to his former state of wine, then you must  
cast, of colewort roots into it.


CHAP. XX.

Of some obseruations and instructions concerning Vineger.

_TO make strong vineger, take the fruit of the cornell tree, when it  
beginneth to grow red, and of bramble berries, such as grow in the  
fields, when they are halfe ripe, drie them, make them into powder,  
and with a little strong Vineger, you shall make little prettie  
balles, which you shall drie in the Sunne, afterward you must take  
wine, and heate it, and when it is hot put into it this composition,  
and it will bee turned very speedily into very strong Vineger.

To make Vineger with corrupted wine: take a rotten and corrupt wine  
and boile it, taking away all the scum that riseth in the boiling  
thereof, thus let it continue vp|on the fire till it be boyled away  
one third part, then put it into a vessell wherein hath bin Vineger,  
putting thereto some cheruile, couer the vessell in such sort, that  
there get no aire into it, and in a short time it will proue good and  
strong Vineger.

To make drie Vineger to carrie whither a man listeth, take of wild  
cherries when they begin to be ripe (and yet the fruit of the cornell  
tree is better) of mulberies when they be red, and vnripe grapes that  
are very thicke, and of wild a cornes be|fore they bee ripe, stampt  
all together, then take of the best Vineger you can finde, and mingle  
them all together, make vp the masse into small loaues, setting them  
to drie in the Sunne: and when you would make Vineger, temper some of  
these small loaues in wine, and you shall haue very good Vineger.  
Otherwise, take the vnripe iuice of corne that is very greene, and  
stampe the same putting Vineger thereto, and thereof make a past,  
wherof you shall make little loaues to be dried in the Sunne, and when  
you would haue Vineger, temper of these loaues in so much wine as you  
shall see sufficient, and you shall haue very good Vineger.

To make rose-vineger, take good white Vineger, and put therein red  
roses, either new or dried, keeping them many daies in the vessell,  
and afterward taking them out, put them in another glasse, and so  
keepe them in a coole place: after the same manner you may make  
Vineger of elder-tree flowers.

To make Vineger without wine, put into a vessell soft and daintie  
peaches, and vpon them pearched barley, letting them putrifie all a  
whole day, then straine them and vse the liquor: or else take old figs  
and burnt barley, together with the inner parts of orenges, put all  
these into a vessell, and stir them vp very well and oft, and whenas  
they are become putrified and resolued, straine them out and vse the  
liquor.

To make sweet Vineger, take fiue pints of strong Vineger, and with as  
much new wine reserued vpon the treading out of the grapes, adde some  
quantitie of pitch, and and put altogether in a vessell which you must  
stop very carefully: and after that all these haue continued together  
for the space of some thirtie daies, you may vse there|of for Vineger:  
otherwise, take a vessell of new wine, and mingle it with two vessels  
of Vineger, and boile them together till the third part be consumed.  
Some doe adde three vessels of spring water vnto two of new wine and  
one of Vineger, boiling them all together vntill the third part be  
consumed.

To make mightie strong Vineger, drie the grosse of grapes two whole  
daies, then put it in new wine, put thereto some of the vnripe iuice  
of corne, and you shall make a strong Vineger, whereof you may haue  
the vse within seuen daies after: or otherwise, put pellitorie of  
Spaine into Vineger and it will make it strong. Furthermore, if you  
boile the fourth or fifth part of Vineger vpon the fire, and put it  
vnto that which is before prescribed, putting it after all this in the  
Sunne some eight daies, you shall haue a pleasant and strong vineger.  
The rootes of couch-grasse when they are old, boiled grapes, the  
leaues of the wild peare tree stamped, the roots of brambles and whay,  
the quicke coales of burned acornes, and boiled ciche pease and hot  
tiles, euen euery one of these by themselues being cast into Vineger  
doe make the same strong.

Pepper vineger is made by casting into vineger or hanging therein  
whole pep|per made vp in a linnen cloth, for the space of eight daies,
You shall know if there be any water in the vineger, if you put into  
it any Salni|trum, for then if it swell vp as though it would boile,  
you may boldly say that there is water in it.

To make vineger good to helpe digestion, and for your health, take  
eight drams of the sea onion, and two pints of vineger, put them  
together into a vessell, and vvith them as much of pepper, mints, and  
iuniper berries, then vse it afterward.

To make vineger of sea onions, you must put ten such onions salted  
into fiftie quartes of sweet new vvine, and foure pints and a halfe of  
strong vineger, and if it be not sharp enough, then twice so much, in  
a pot holding fiftie four quarts, & boile them till the fourth part  
bee consumed: or if the wine bee sweete, it must be boiled to the  
spending of the third part, but such wine may be of his owne  
distilling out of the grapes before they be trodden and very cleere:  
otherwise, put into a vessell thirtie pints of strong vineger, wherein  
let steepe for the space of twelue daies, the inward part of a white  
sea onion which hath beene in the Sunne thirtie daies: after that,  
take the vineger and let it settle and abide in some place where you  
wil to vse it afterward. Dioscorides in his one and twentieth chapter  
of his fourth booke discribeth another manner of it.
It is to obserued and noted that all sorts of vineger are best helped  
to keepe their tartnesse, by putting into their vessels at the bung  
hole a sticke of red withie.
Pages 618-619

Estienne, Charles, 1504-ca. 1564.
Maison rustique, or The countrey farme… And the husbandrie of France,  
Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in  
England: by Geruase Markham.
London : Printed by Adam Islip for Iohn Bill, 1616.

  Hope this helps,
Johnnae


On Apr 30, 2010, at 2:11 AM, David Walddon wrote:

> I am looking for instructions on making vinegar in 1500 England.
> Anyone have a source?
> Thanks
> Eduardo
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