[Sca-cooks] The great Medieval water myth

[David Friedman]

I believe that "natron," both in modern usage and in medieval Islamic 
usage, is a mixture of carbonates. The medieval islamic source was dry 
lake beds in Egypt.

Nasrallah describes it as one of the two sorts of boraq, which she 
translates as "borax," presumably correct etymology but not correct 
chemistry.

On 11/23/13 6:11 AM, Terry Decker wrote:
>
> per ENHG: erhalten = obtain, sustain
>
> **Erhalten can also mean "continue, go on" which I suspect is the 
> meaning here in reference to being a cook.
>
> therefor all the water/ which has a sour/ sharp/
> over-salted taste/ as of sulphur and Nitro
> (soda?)/ it is harmful and unhealthy to use as a
> natural drink.
>
>
> Ranvaig
>
> If the word being used is "Natron," it's an obsolete reference to 
> sodium in the general and sodium carbonate in the particular. 
> Modernly, he would likely use the word Alkali in reference to a 
> mineralized water possibly containing such nasty alkalis as arsenic.  
> The tap water in Reno, while safe to drink, is an example.
>
> Bear
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>

-- 
David Friedman
www.daviddfriedman.com
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/