silīqūn

Ingredients

minium (silīqūn), borax (būraq), gum arabic (ṣamġ), gall-nut (māʾ al-ʿafṣ)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

According to the chart on pages 117-118: 1. Take one ūqiyya of minium (silīqūn). 2. Crush the minium on a slab of stone. 3. Add one dirham weight of borax (būraq) and two dirhams of gum arabic (ṣamġ). 4. Knead the mixture until it becomes fine. 5. While kneading, soak the mixture with a solution of gall-nut (māʾ al-ʿafṣ). 6. Use for writing.

Evidence

"Title (MM II.18) Description of a pink ink... Ingredient I of minium... Operation I (verb) and is crushed Specification of place on a slab of stone Operation II (verb) and it is added Specification of quantity (II) the weight of a dirham Ingredient II of borax Specification of quantity III and two dirhams Ingredient III of gum arabic Operation III (verb) and it is kneaded Specification of mode until it becomes fine while it is soaked Ingredient IV with a solution of gall-nut"

Remarks

This recipe (MM II.18) is identified as being from the treatise Al-muḫtaraʿ by the Rasulid sultan al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Yūsuf al-Ġassānī (d. 694/1294). The author notes that this specific work reflects a Yemeni operative context, evidenced by dialectal terms like 'salīṭ' for sesame oil used in other recipes (p. 117).