Food History

So, I’m on my way to being better. What would have someone made me in England in the nineteenth century, to help restore me to my normal self? Why restoratives, of course.

These recipes are from The Jewish Manual (1846, London) again.

HARTSHORN JELLY

Boil half a pound of hartshorn shavings in two quarts of water over a gentle fire until it becomes thick enough to hang about a spoon, then strain it into a clean saucepan and add half a pint of sherry wine, and a quarter of a pound of white sugar, clear it by stirring in the whites of a couple of eggs, whisked to a froth; boil it for about four or five minutes, add the juice of three lemons, and stir all together, when it is well curdled, strain it and pour into the mould, if the color is required to be deeper than the wine will make it, a little saffron may be boiled in it.

BARLEY JELLY

Boil in an iron saucepan, one tea-cup full of pearl barley, with one quart of cold water, pour off the water when it boils, and add another quart, let it simmer very gently for three hours over or near a slow fire, stirring it frequently with a wooden spoon, strain it, and sweeten with white sugar, add the juice of a lemon, a little white
wine, and a quarter of an ounce of isinglass dissolved in a little water, and pour it into a mould. This is a very nourishing jelly.

CAUDLE

Make a fine smooth gruel of grits, with a few spices boiled in it, strain it carefully and warm as required, adding white wine and a little brandy, nutmeg, lemon peel, and sugar, according to taste, some persons put the yolk of an egg.

RICE CAUDLE

Boil half a pint of milk, add a spoonful of ground rice mixed with a little milk till quite smooth, stir it into the boiling milk, let it simmer till it thickens, carefully straining it, and sweeten with white sugar.

BARLEY MILK

Boil half a pound of pearl barley in one quart of new milk, taking care to parboil it first in water, which must be poured off, sweeten with white sugar. This is better made with pearl barley than the prepared barley.

RESTORATIVE MILK

Boil a quarter of an ounce of isinglass in a pint of new milk till reduced to half, and sweeten with sugar candy.

MILK PORRIDGE

Make a fine gruel with new milk without adding any water, strain it when sufficiently thick, and sweeten with white sugar. This is extremely nutritive and fattening.

WINE WHEY

Set on the fire in a saucepan a pint of milk, when it boils, pour in as much white wine as will turn it into curds, boil it up, let the curds settle, strain off, and add a little boiling water, and sweeten to taste.

TAMARIND WHEY

Boil three ounces of tamarinds in two pints of milk, strain off the curds, and let it cool. This is a very refreshing drink.

PLAIN WHEY

Put into boiling milk as much lemon juice or vinegar as will turn it, and make the milk clear, strain, add hot water, and sweeten.

ORGEAT

Beat three ounces of almonds with a table-spoonful of orange-flour water, and one bitter almond; then pour one pint of new milk, and one pint of water to the paste, and sweeten with sifted white sugar; half an ounce of gum-arabic is a good addition for those who have a tender
chest.

IRISH MOSS

Boil half an ounce of carrageen or Irish moss, in a pint and a half of water or milk till it is reduced to a pint; it is a most excellent drink for delicate persons or weakly children.