[Sca-cooks] goats milk cheese recipe

[Louise Smithson]

So after having a copy of Scappi for nearly 10 years, after having read it many 
times, I was still surprised last week when I found this recipe. Apparently I 
just overlooked the recipe as it was in the invalid section. 


It should also be uploaded to my webpage soon (courtesy of Doc) - 
http://www.medievalcookery.com/helewyse

helewyse


A recipe for goats milk cheese, goats milk ricotta and rose scented whey drink 
from Scappi. 

Per fare siero di latte di Capra purificato Cap LXVIII, Sesto Libro, Opera di 
Bartolomeo Scappi. 

Piglisi il latte munto all’hora, & pongasi dentro il quaglio, o presame, & come 
è preso pongasi al foco lento lontan dalla fiamma, & come il latte viene a 
scaldarsi, si caverà con destrezza il cascio, che in alcuni lochi si dimanda 
struccoli, pongasi poi dentro un poco d’aceto o d’agresto, & facciasi bollir 
pian piano, fin’a tanto che haverà fatta la ricotta, & passisi per un setaccio 
fisso, & ripassisi per la calzetta di bombagina bianca, & se esso siero si vorrà 
con le rose, si lascierà stare in infusion per tre hore, & piu o meno second il 
bisogno, & come sarà stato il sopradetto termine con le rose, si colerà un altra 
volta per lo setaccio, & si sarà intepidire per forza d’acqua calda, & all’hora 
si potrà dare a bere, e farne altro secondo che sarà commesso dal Phisico. 

To make purified whey of Goat milk. Chapter 68, 6th book, Scappi. 
Take milk collected within the hour, and put inside of it rennet or thistle 
juice[i] and when it is ready put it to a slow fire a long way from the flame.  
When the milk starts to warm one takes carefully from it the cheese that in 
another place one presses.  Put then inside (the whey) a little vinegar or 
verjuice and let it boil very slowly until the ricotta is made, and pass it 
through a basket hair sieve, and pass it again through the stocking of cotton 
stuff[ii].  And if you want the whey with rose one leaves it to infuse for three 
hours or more or less dependent upon your needs.  And when it has finished with 
the roses one strains it another time through the hair sieve.  And one can warm 
it up with a little hot water and immediately one can give it to drink, or do it 
another way dependent upon the instructions of the physician. 

References
An Italian Dictionary, By Alfred Hoare, M.A. Second Edition.  Cambridge 
University Press 1925
Scappi, B., Opera : (dell' arte del cucinare).  Reprint. First published: Opera 
di M. Bartolomeo Scappi. Venice, 1570. 1981, Bologna: Arnaldo Forni. [20], 436 
leaves [ca. 888 p.], [28] p. of plates.  Available online from Google books.
Copyright
Louise Smithson, (Helewyse de Birkestad) February 2011.
Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided 
the author is credited and receives a copy. Email me at helewyse at yahoo.com if 
you would like to include this in an SCA publication, I am more than happy to 
provide permission. 


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[i]  - the translation for presame is – thistle juice or the like used instead 
of rennet for curdling milk. 

[ii] - bombasino is an alternative spelling of bombagino and means cotton stuff, 
bombicino is silk paper.  What may be called for here is a type of finely woven 
wool or silk strainer, similar to those used in the production of hippocras.