9th Century Arabic Medicinal Jelly

This was going to be entered into the 2020 Ice Dragon A&S competition, but the event was canceled due to the state shutting down all SUNY campuses. Oh well, I will just have to eat all of this tasty jelly.

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9th Century Arabic Medicinal Jelly

Summary:

A medicinal jelly from the 9th Century Aqrabadhin of al-Kindi by Abu Yusuf Ya’qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi.
Contains:
Grapes.
Honey
Lesser, or green, cardamom
Greater, or black, cardamom
Clove
Cinnamon
Long pepper
Saffron

Introduction:

This is my second attempt at making this jelly. The first was in reaction to discovering that a popular SCA mead recipe was actually a jelly and not a beverage. [1] My first attempt used white grapes, which did not set fully, like a modern jelly or jam. I wanted to try this recipe with red grapes, which contain higher levels of pectin.

For this project, I used black grapes from Peru. I chose this variety (Royal Sweet) because I liked the flavor, not too sweet and with a complicated flavor, they were full of juice; the red grapes, at the grocery store, tasted bland. It is winter and could not obtain any locally grown grapes. I do not know what varieties of grapes that were available in Iraq in the 9th century.

Project:

This project is based on recipe 108 of Aqrabadhin of al-Kindi, from Martin Levey’s translation. The English translation is as follows:

108. Syrups, electuaries, and others. The best resat jellies are taken in the winter for a stiff neck. It is useful, with God’s help. Ten dawarig of the best juice and pulp of the grape is taken. A dawarig is four and a half ratls. It is cooked over a low fire until its foam disappears. The the {sic} best genuine honey is put in. The proportion is one ratl of honey for every five ratls {of grape juice}. It is boiled over a low fire until its foam also disappears. One half of it evaporates. Then one dirham each is taken of lesser cardamom, cardamom. Ceylonese cinnamon, clove, and long pepper. It is well pulverized and put into a fine linen cloth. Then it is thrown into the decoction after the froth has been removed. When the cooking is over, it is possible to introduce the hand into it. The powder is macerated into it strongly. It is taken out and three dirhams of saffron put into [the liquid]. It is put into flasks and the tops are stoppered. After a little sun is allowed on it, one may use it. The older it gets, the better, God willing. [2]

Page 271, of Levey’s book, defines resat jellies as, "In the East, resat is called faludhaj, and in the Maghrib sabuniyah (Dozy, I:525)." The Internet has recipes for modern resats, faludhaj, and sabuniyah, that are deserts. More like Chuckles(tm) candy or Turkish Delight. "Thicker puddings like khabis and  faludhaj were made with wheat starch, rice flour, or crushed almonds, and sometimes with pureed carrots, melon, apples, or quince. Sweetened with honey, they were spread on flat platters and copiously sprinkled with powdered sugar." [3]

It doesn’t give any dose size, or instructions on how to take. "...taken in the winter for a stiff neck", suggests that it is rubbed on a stiff neck. This doesn’t sound correct: the end result sounds sticky and if this were a poultice, shouldn’t it at least recommend how often to change it? Other recipes, in the text,  that call for poultices recommend how often to change them. My opinion was that "stiff neck" was a mistranslation and that it should be "sore throat". That would make more sense within the context of the recipe. Although, if the text had said, "take one spoonful as needed," it would make our job easier.

I had a conversation, about this recipe, with Baroness Sadira Bint Wassouf and she let me know that she had a few Arabic speaking students in her English as a Second Language class, and would be happy to ask one of them to take a look at the original text. I had sent her a scan of the first paragraph of the original text (the first three lines of the English text). I did not send the entire Arabic text as I did not want to take advantage of my unknown translator. The E-mail that I received back was as follows:

Dear Baron Caleb,

SO {sic} exciting to be a part of this because the translator was fascinated about how Arabic has changed. She checked and checked her translations. You were right!

Look at the three longer lines of text: the phrase at the far left of the first and third line are the same. They mean "If God wills" It is not the usual phrase "Inshallah" but one that has a similar meaning there is one very long word to the right of the first line that indicates the country of origin that was unfamiliar to the translator (names and borders of countries have changed). In the middle of the shorter (second line) is a shorter word that means "cough" or "sore throat" The whole thing basically says to take the medication for a cough or sore throat but that it is also good for other things such as "jerking" - maybe trembling, seizures, or palsy -  and that if God wills, it will work. While it mentions curing "other things" it only gives the two examples.

Your translator is Fonoun Muthana, a brilliant young woman from Yemen who is a scholar in any language. She is an amazing person with deep curiosity about any new topic. 

My own observation is that a term meaning "if God wills" is used in many food recipes as well. Everything in life is Inshallah. Although I cannot speak or read my own cultural language (Arabic), that concept is part of my very being. So Inshallah enjoy the result!

Such fun!

Sadira

Lady Fonoun Muthana has by deepest respect and thanks for helping. Let us dissect the recipe, line by line, and see if we can make some sense of it.

"Ten dawarig of the best juice and pulp of the grape is taken. A dawarig is four and a half ratls."

On page 25, Martin Levey tells us that one ratl is equivalent to 406.25g, with the following caveat from the author: "The weights mentioned in the text are those of ninth-century Baghdad....Very little is known of the exact weights of the units in most periods and most areas of the medieval Islamic world. The above values must, therefore, be considered uncertain subject to further research."

1 ratl = 406.25g
45 ratls = 18281.25g
18281.25g = 40.3lbs

So, 45 ratls of grapes is about 40 pounds.

"It is cooked over a low fire until its foam disappears."

This is somewhat, self explanatory. Cooking grape pulp does produce a lot of foam. Just put your pot off-set on your burner and the foam will move to one side of the pot, making it easier to skim off.

"The the {sic} best genuine honey is put in. The proportion is one ratl of honey for every five ratls {of grape juice}. It is boiled over a low fire until its foam also disappears. "

I do not know what is meant by "genuine" honey. Surely they didn’t have HFC/honey blends. Perhaps this could mean the best honey off of the comb. Or honey that hasn’t been watered down. 

1 ratl of honey for each 5 of grapes.
45 / 5 = 9 ratls of honey
9 ratls = 3656.25g
3656.25g = 8.1lbs

"One half of it evaporates."

The recipe calls for cooking the "must" until it stops foaming up and until it is reduced by half. Reducing 48 pounds of juice, pulp, and honey by half would take a long time. The low heat would let the mixture cook down without destroying the natural pectin found in grapes. Pectin is the fruit equivalent of gluten, and allows jellies to form and hold their shape and consistency.

"Then one dirham each is taken of lesser cardamom, cardamom. Ceylonese cinnamon, clove, and long pepper. It is well pulverized and put into a fine linen cloth. Then it is thrown into the decoction after the froth has been removed."

1 dirham is 3.125g or 0.11 ounces. [4]

Take 0.11 ounces of the following:
Lesser, or green, cardamom,
Greater, or black, cardamom,
Clove,
Cinnamon,
Long pepper.
Smash or coarsely grind them and put them in a cloth tea bag, or infuser ball, and drop into the liquid.

There are three varieties of cardamom: lesser, greater, and white. White cardamom, comes from China and my sources state that it lacks the sharp flavor of the other two varieties but it adds aroma. I was unable to find any reference to white cardamom in medieval Middle Eastern recipe books, so I will assume that the second cardamom required must be greater cardamom.

"When the cooking is over, it is possible to introduce the hand into it. The powder is macerated into it strongly. It is taken out and three dirhams of saffron put into [the liquid]."

I think that this was translated out of sequence. It doesn’t flow correctly. Are we to reduce the "must" by half, remove it from the heat, and then add in the spices just long enough for the "must" to cool down enough so that you wouldn’t burn your hand? To my mind, we are told to let it cool to bath temperature before adding the saffron. 0.33 ounces of saffron threads, not powder, please. But I think that the spices, in the bag, would be more effective if they were included throughout the cooking.

"It is put into flasks and the tops are stoppered. After a little sun is allowed on it, one may use it."

I read this as after the "must" cools completely, move it to containers that can be sealed. The word flask implies a narrow-necked container designed for liquids. But that would not be useful for a jelly. Any wide-necked container would work. Seal the container to keep bugs, yeast, or microbes out of it, and let it sit in the sun until the jelly firms up.

"The older it gets, the better, God willing."

People who make and preserve their own jams and jellies will tell you that jars that have been "put up" for a few months, taste better than freshly made jams and jellies.

My redaction:

Take 40 pounds of fresh squeezed grape juice and pulp and place it into a non-reactive pot over low heat. Take 8.1 pounds of honey, wildflower is fine, and add it to the grape pulp. Bring up to a low boil and skim any foam from the surface. Cook until it no longer foams up. Place the pot off center on the burner so that the foam collects to one side of the pot. Cook until it reduces by half, stirring regularly so that the sugars do not burn. While the liquid is reducing, put 0.11 ounces of the following into a spice bag or a tea ball: green cardamom seeds; black cardamom seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and long pepper: all coarsely ground or crushed. Add the spice bag into the liquid. Once the liquid has reduced by half, remove from the heat and allow to cool enough so that you can put your hand into it without burning yourself. Remove the spice bag and add in 0.33 ounces of saffron threads, the good stuff. No need for a spice bag. Move into a container, or containers, that can be stoppered shut, and place it/them in a warm area. If you have a clean, brewing carboy, that will work. Leave the container(s) for a couple of hours until the jelly firms up and sets. Move into mason jars and either park in the ‘fridge or "can" them so that they will not spoil.

48 pounds of jelly is a lot of jelly. Unless you know how to preserve, and have all of the necessary equipment, this might be a bit too much for one person to deal with.

This project:

In order to experiment with this recipe, I decided to reduce the amounts to a more manageable level. We will start out with 1/16th of the amounts mentioned in the recipe.

I used:
2.5 pounds of black, seedless grapes
0.5 pounds of wildflower honey.
1 pod of greater, or black, cardamom,
The equivalent volume of:
Lesser, or green, cardamom,
Clove,
Cinnamon,
Long pepper.
A pinch of Sargol saffron.

I started off trying to figure out what 1/16th of 0.11 ounces would be. [5] I was unsuccessful. So I guessed. My container of greater cardamom was 0.5 ounces. I selected one pod and declared that to be the right amount. I then tried to match up the volume, by eye, of the other spices.

I chose to use Saigon cinnamon because I like the sweet taste of the region and the brand, I that ordered, was USDA certified organic, which not only means that the trees were grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals, but that it is certified to be Cinnamon loureiroi, and not bark from any other tree. Please use fresh spices, not pre-ground. The cloves I had in the house, nothing special about them. The saffron was a gift from family friends who brought back a lot of it from Kuwait. The cardamoms and the long pepper were purchased for this project.

Unlike my previous attempt, I toasted the spices, except for the cinnamon, in a frying pan before moving them into a spice bag. The heat amped up the flavors of the spices. The recipe does not call for this step, but it certainly is something that could have been done to enhance the flavor of the spices. And this might explain why such a small amount of spice was called for such a large amount of grapes. I was a little concerned about the amounts required: 0.11 ounces for 48 pounds of grape and honey? Surely that couldn’t be enough. But, when I roasted the spices my kitchen was filled the aroma of far away lands.  I cooked the spices just long enough to darken the exteriors.

These spices went into a linen spice bag and then struck with a hammer. I used a ball-peen hammer, but you can use any kind of hammer to crush your spices. You do not have to grind them up, since they will be contained in the spice bag, and not integrated into the puree. We just want to make it easier to extract the oils from the spices.

I was going to use wine grapes, but I wasn’t looking forward to peeling the skins off a couple of pounds of them. Then I realized that while wine grapes have thick skins, [6] grapes grown for out-of-hand snacking have thin skins. And no seeds. I saw no reason why I couldn’t throw 2.5 pounds of seedless grapes into my food processor and turn them into a puree. If I had the kitchen of my 9th century counterpart, I would have plenty of servants to de-seed, peel, and smash as many grapes as I wish. The food processor is stepping in for the kitchen staff of a noble.

I converted the grapes into a slurry, then added in the honey. The honey was pasteurized and filtered and I saw no reason to add it in only after the grape slurry stopped foaming up. I used wildflower honey because that is what I had in the house. I will not take the time, in this paper, to explain my opinion of honey farming in the middle ages, except to say that the bee industry of today, which can move hives from one field of mono-crops to another, did not exist in the SCA time period: hives were near farm lands and gardens and a variety of crops were grown simultaneously. This means that the bees, which collected nectar from every available source, produced a blend of honey, not a singular variety. Clover or wildflower honey, I feel, is closer to period honey, than buckwheat, rosemary, apple wood, sage, lavender or other specific varieties.

I turned the burner to medium-high and started stirring. My stove is electric and I do not think that, for this dish, there would be a difference between gas, electric, or an open fire. Nor do I think that my ceramic-lined steel pot adds or takes away from any period cooking vessel. After about 15 minutes, I had collected all of the foam and scum from the surface of the liquid. I then added the spice bag. I used a silicone spatula with serrations on one side; I used those serrations to measure the depth of the liquid and to tell me when I hit the half way mark.

I backed the temperature down to medium, as medium-high was causing the liquid to boil too hard. It took about 45 minutes to reduce down by half. I turned the heat off and let it sit for 15 minutes. After which I removed the spice bag and added in the saffron. I used a good, heavy pinch of saffron and dropped it right into the jelly and gave it a quick stir to integrate it.

 I let the proto-jelly sit for another 20 minutes before moving to three, clean mason jars. The jars sat on the counter for another hour, and then I moved them into the refrigerator.

When I put the proto-jelly into the jars, it had the consistency of apple sauce. After an hour, it had firmed up into a jelly, but not as firm as a store bought jelly, or a home-made one with added pectin. But, still firm enough to be scooped up with a fork and firmer than the first attempt in which I had used white grapes.

As to flavor: quite nice. It does have the consistency of chunky grape jelly, with the skins giving it a nice texture and an almost crunch. More like a home-made preserve of jam than a modern jelly. [7] The cinnamon and cardamom play well together, giving the jelly a sweet, peppery-cinnamony taste. The cloves are there, but they take a back seat to the other spices. The saffron is lost under the other spices. It is tasty off of a fork as well as spread on toast. This jelly is not as sweet as store-bought jelly, since the only sugar in it came from the honey and the grapes. It is less sweet than Welch’s No Added Sugar grape jelly, most likely because Welch’s uses a variety of high sugar content grape for their jelly.

Since no dosage is listed, I cannot tell you how much to take for a sore throat. One thing that peeked my curiosity was the size of this recipe. 2.5 pounds of grapes, and etc, filled a little more than two and half 16oz mason jars; say about 40oz of jelly. If I had used the original amounts, I would have filled about 40 mason jars. This is a lot of jelly. Particularly for a cough remedy. Was the sick person expected to eat it 3 meals a day? Or was the expectation that if one person, in the household, got sick, everyone in the household would as well, so make enough for a whole family.

Aside from coughs and sore throats, this jelly is delicious. I found very similar jelly recipes on the Internet, although none with the same mixture of spices. These types of jellies are used as the filling for a number of deserts. I found one called, "Baghdad Lasagna" which calls for a jelly made of apples, quinces, honey, saffron, sumac, and rosewater, layered between filo dough. My cough remedy would work equally well as a desert. I can report that it plays well with peanut butter and I recommend equal amounts of chunky peanut butter and this jelly on a toasted bagel.

I do not know how effective this would be as a sore-thoat aid; the cloves would provide a numbing affect and the smooth jelly base would help as well. I don’t think that this would be as effective as a cough drop, [8] but if your throat hurt so much that you had trouble swallowing food, this would be a good treatment to keep you from staving. Much like ice cream is given to kids after tonsillectomies.

[1] Ronsen, 2019
[2] p120-2
[3] Goldstein, p43.
[4] Levey, p25
[5] 0.0069 ounces
[6] You can insult them all day long and all they will do is let out a little wine.
[7] It is not silky smooth like store-bought jellies, since I scooped it into the jars and did not inject it under pressure.
[8] Of which we do have recipes from this time period.



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