Water Emperiall

Ingredients

water

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

As philosophers seyne it is impossibill that any man shuld dey of poyson and of pestulence who so vsith to drynk of that water next hys hert and it clepid Water Emperiall For all emperours and grete lordis emong the sarsyns vse to drynke it (p. 58).

Evidence

"it clepid Water Emperiall For all emperours and grete lordis emong the sarsyns vse to drynke it"

Remarks

Commonly found in 15th-century collections, this 'preciose water' (p. 58) is attributed to Saracen ('sarsyns') rulers, specifically emperors and great lords. The recipe reflects the transport of medical knowledge from the Islamic world to the Christian world, likely through the Crusades or romantic literature (p. 59). Its magisterial qualities are etymologically linked to its 'emperiall' name, reaffirming its authority to medieval readers through exotic and royal associations (pp. 58-59).