[Sca-cooks] Book on Ambergris

lilinah at earthlink.net lilinah at earthlink.net
Fri Jun 1 10:34:50 PDT 2012


Daniel wrote:
> This links to a short article on ambergris. It is my understanding that sperm whale sputum
> was occasionally used in period as a culinary ingredient. 
>
> http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2012/05/why-you-really-should-have-heard-of-ambergris.html 

US$20/gram? Cool, i can afford that! (as if i could find it anywhere) According to the memoirs of a very wealthy 20th c. Ottoman woman i was reading, one only needs to dip the end of a toothpick in it to flavor a dish for 4-6.

It isn't really sputum, since it is created in the gut. And it isn't vomit, as i've heard some people call it, even though it is often expelled through the mouth. It's waxy, and protects the whales' innards from undigestible sharp squid beaks.

BTW, the musk lifesavers worked out quite well in the cookies - i should have added more to the meat. So i recommend them to anyone who finds a recipe that includes musk and sugar.

Johnna found a place that wholesales musk flavor by the *liter* - which i could never use up, so i didn't inquire about the price. But it was in Australia, so shipping would take a long time and likely be crazy expensive, and i don't know about getting it through customs, and i don't have a wholesale license.

Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita



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