red cinnabar

Ingredients

red cinnabar, water of sour pomegranate seeds, water, gum arabic

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Take red cinnabar and grind it finely. It must then be rinsed with the water of sour pomegranate seeds. After pouring water over it and rinsing well, it is purified and left for one hour until the suspension settles (p. 166). The material is then ground on an impermeable stone slab or a polished permeable stone slab. Water is added gradually during grinding until it reaches a consistency similar to harira soup and can no longer absorb water. Finally, dissolved gum arabic is added and the mixture is pounded vigorously until fully incorporated (p. 166).

Evidence

"Take some red cinnabar, grind it finely, then rinse it with the water of sour pomegranate seeds, pour water over it and rinse well, and purify it after leaving it for one hour, until [the suspension] has settled."

Remarks

The recipe highlights the dual use of the preparation: it can be poured onto a washed silk wad inside a glass jar to be used as an ink, or applied with a hair brush for painting on images (p. 166). The term 'harira' refers to a thick soup made of flour, grease, or milk, providing a specific textural reference for the desired ink viscosity (p. 167).