Fourteenth Century French Recipe

Ingredients

rain water, gall nuts, gum arabic, clear white wine, vitriol

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Take 12 pounds of rain water and 2 pounds of gall nuts; macerate until morning. Boil until the liquor is reduced by half; filter through a fine cloth and return to the fire. Add 4 ounces of gum arabic and boil until dissolved. Filter again, then add 1 pound of clear white wine and 3 ounces of vitriol and mix well. Add this mixture to the liquid and boil briefly. Carefully filter again to create a good ink (p. 106).

Evidence

"If you wish to make a good ink or a good “dye”, take twelve pounds of rain water and two pounds of gall nuts"

Remarks

This recipe is unique in its use of white wine as a solvent/additive and includes multiple filtration steps for clarity (p. 106).