burned papyrus, ground gall nuts

Ingredients

papyrus, gum arabic solution, ground gall nuts, albumen, extract of chard

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Burn papyrus and collect the residues (p. 129, Recipe 13). Mix the burned remains with the previously described solution (anemone liquefaction) (p. 130, Recipe 14). Place the mixture in the shadow to dry (p. 130, Recipe 15). To prepare the final ink, take one dirham weight of this dry mixture (p. 130, Recipe 16) and mix it with one dirham of gum arabic solution (p. 130, Recipe 17) and half a dirham of ground gall nuts (p. 130, Recipe 18). Mash these ingredients together with albumen (p. 130, Recipe 19). Form the resulting paste into small balls and allow them to dry (p. 130, Recipe 20). To use the ink, the balls ('nuts') are placed in an inkwell and dissolved with extract of chard, which is described as the 'best solvent for it' (p. 130, Recipe 21).

Evidence

"Description of an Iraqi ink."

Remarks

This recipe (IB=MM) provides a more complex sequence involving the carbonization of papyrus and the inclusion of gall nuts, which are typical of iron-gall or carbon-gall hybrid inks, although the primary colorant seems to remain the fermented anemone solution mentioned in the previous steps. The use of chard extract as a solvent is a specific regional or historical variant (p. 130).