[Sca-cooks] Ambergris

[Johnna Holloway]

When comparing the MWBC ‘ “Books of Sweetmeats” to the printed edition of  A Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen, I found numerous instances of recipes which were the same, indicating that the manuscript had copied from the printed text of 1608 or even possibly a later edition. This would date some of the recipes to 1608. Karen Hess never made this connection.

See my introduction here:  http://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/1608closet.pdf <http://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/1608closet.pdf>

Johnnae



> On Mar 14, 2018, at 2:59 PM, Daniel And elizabeth phelps <dephelps at embarqmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Karen Hess in her definitive book regarding Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery states that "The use of musk and ambergris was another characteristic of the sixteenth and seventeenth-century cooking,...."  She further states that she feels "...that its use had become archaic by 1600...".  The Booke of Cookery in recipe 110 calls for it or musk.  The Booke of Sweetmeats, part of the two book set calls for it or musk in recipes 20 and 27.  There are also recipes for its use in perfumes. The problem with MW's book is that while is a transcription of two book handed down to her dating the individual recipes is perhaps somewhat problematic.  
> 
> Daniel