Iraqi ink

Ingredients

anemone, gall nuts, gum arabic, vitriol

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Description of an Iraqi ink mentioned in Zinat al-kataba. Ingredients include anemone, and it is noted for not fading on papyrus or paper. (p. 127). The version from Buḫtīšūʿ, the Physician (p. 142), requires taking one mikyāl of ground gall nuts and eight mikyāl of water, cooking them in a saucepan until one quarter has evaporated, then adding a sufficient amount of zāǧ (vitriol) and qalqand (green vitriol) and gum arabic.

Evidence

"Description of an Iraqi ink. [...] An ink that never fades and is also a dye; al-Rāzī mentioned it [as made] with anemone."

Remarks

This ink is noted for its high permanence. It is described as an ink that doesn't fade and whose traces don't disappear. Interestingly, it is also identified as a dye for hair (p. 127). The term 'Iraqi ink' (IB=MM) corresponds to the 'Maghreb' people's copy (MH) in the comparative table. (p. 127).