[Sca-cooks] Parsnips

[Johnna Holloway]

Just an additional note on the subject. I checked EEBO-TCP this am. The full text section has over 47,000 items now.
> From Langham, William. The garden of health conteyning the sundry rare and hidden vertues and properties of all kindes of simples and plants… 1579.
> Parsnips.
> 
> PArsnips: the rootes sodden tender and eaten, cause vrine, and are good against melancholly.
> 
> 2 The garden Parsnip eaten with meate, ingendreth good blood, and the wilde Parsnip eaten of women, moueth termes.
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> 3 The roote hangd about the necke, helpeth the swelling of the throte, & no venemous thing shall hurt him that carrieth it about him.
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> 4 The seede drunke with wine and also applied to the Matrixe, prouoketh termes, and helpeth the straitnesse of making water, the paine of the side called thepleurisy
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> 5 The roote applyed plasterwise, helpeth venemous bitings or stingings.
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> 6 The roote sodden & eaten, prouoketh vrin & venery.
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> 7 The leaues stampt with hony and applied, doth clense and heale vlcers that eate greatly into the flesh.
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> 8 The herbe with the root shreaded & distilled about the ende of March, and the water drunke three ounces morne & euen, and the palsie members also anoynted therewith or bathed, helpeth their shaking.
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> 9 The roots eaten in meates, yeeld better nourishment then Carrots.
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> 10 The water drunke euery night sixe ounces, prouoketh venery and sperme in man, & helpeth the straitnesse in making of water: milke to cause, vse the roote or seedes.
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> 11 The roote prouoketh vrine, swageth paine of the side, expelleth winde of the belly, and is good for them that be bruised.
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> 12 The roots eaten, are good for the lungs, breast and reines.
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> 13 The seed of the wilde Parsnip is good against all poyson, it healeth all venemous bitings & stingings being drunke in wine, and is so excellent good for this purpose, that when stags or rather wilde Harts haue eaten of it, no venemous beasts may hurt them.
> 
> 15 The seede of wilde Parsnips drunke, prouoketh 
> termes and vrine, helpe the dropsie, resist poison and all venemous bitings, and helpe conception.
> 
> 15 This herbe applyed into the Matrixe by a skilfull Midwife stampt, draweth foorth the dead childe.
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> 16 And stampt with Hony, it cureth spreadingulcers.
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> 17 Those of the garden are more apt to meate then the wilde.
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> 18 Teeth ache and wormes, rub them with the roote.
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> 19 Matrixe suffocat. drinke the seedes in wine.
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> 20 Milke to increase, seeth the rootes with Fennell rootes in chicken broth, and eate it with a little fresh butter. 21 Loynes paine, drinke the seeds.
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> 22 Swellings of womens bellies as if they were with childe, drinke one ounce of the seedes morne andeven.
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> 23 Parsnips ingender thicke blood and naturall seed being much vsed, and therefore are good for them that haue bene long sicke, and they may bee eaten raw or sodden against melancholly humors, either greene or drie.
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> 24 To prouoke lust and helpe digestion, boyle the roots first in water and slice them, and seeth them againe in fresh water, and put thereto clarified Honie, and boyle them to the thickenesse of Hony, and in the ende, put thereto Almonds if you haue them, and then put thereto Ginger, Galingale, and a little Pepper and Nutmegs, and other sweete sauouring spices, and vse it, or seeth them soft, and cut them small, and seethe them againe in Hony, some streine them and seethe them in water and Hony together, and stirre them well, that they cleaue not to the vessell, and in the midst of the seething, put Almonds in powder, and then Ginger, Nut∣megs & Cinomom ana i. ounce, it moueth lust & helpeth digestion.
> 
> 
> I also found this late 1674 recipe from A supplement to The queen-like closet, or, A little of everything presented to all ingenious ladies, and gentlewomen by Woolley, Hannah, 
> To stew Parsnips: A good Dish.
> 
> Boil the tenderest Parsnips very well, then scrape them very clean, and cut them in two, and then slit them in half; put them in a Dish vvith some White vvine, vvhole Mace, grated Nutmeg, and a little 
> Salt; vvhen they have stewed close co∣vered one hour, then put in some pieces of Marrow, and a little Sugar; then stew them very vvell, and a little before you take them up, put in a little Butter, and shake them vvell together, and serve them in. Garnish your Dish vvith thin slices of boiled Parsnip, and fine Sugar beaten and searched.
> 
> But even here we see sugar is added.
> 
Johnnae
> 
> 
> 
> On Oct 6, 2014, at 10:35 AM, Deborah Hammons <mistressaldyth at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Thanks everybody.  Finally got to the real computer.