Chinese ink, India ink, Kufic ink, Persian ink, Iraqi ink, black shining ink, instant ink, compound ink

Ingredients

pomegranate rinds, gall apple, iron sulfate, gum arabic, yogurt, soot of tar, gum of scammony, cedar, dry fruit of pine, date seeds, vinegar, anemones, dung of asses, white of the egg, beet water, vitriol, gold scrapings, honey, Arabic musk, alum

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The manuscript provides numerous detailed recipes: 1. Chinese ink: Fez ink pulverized with yogurt for three days, then made into sheets (p. 58). 2. Kufic ink: Burned pomegranate rind ash kneaded with yogurt and wet gum, formed into cakes (p. 59). 3. Persian ink: Ripened date seeds in vinegar fired in a clay vessel until charcoal, then made into cakes (p. 59). 4. Iraqi ink: Anemones dissolved in ass dung, then burned; the residue is mixed with gum arabic, pulverized gall nut, egg white, and beet water (p. 59). 5. Black shining ink: 10 parts gall apple cooked in water until 1/3 disappears, clarified, then mixed with gum arabic (p. 59). 6. Instant ink: Gall apple of terebinth, Greek vitriol, and gum arabic beaten with salty water (p. 60). 7. Compound ink: Boiling green myrtle, adding 1 part gall nut, 1 part gum, and 1/4 part vitriol, plus honey or molasses to prevent soot from disappearing (p. 71).

Evidence

"Two major types of ink are described by Ibn Bādĩs, ink for writing on paper and ink for decorating leather book covers or parchment. Chapter 2 describes ink used mainly for paper. Frequently, tannins in the form of pomegranate rinds or gall apple are used with iron sulfate. Gum arabic is employed to thicken the ink to help in its drying."

Remarks

Ibn Bādĩs describes two main functional categories of ink: those for flexible supports like paper and those for decorating leather book covers or parchment (p. 58). The text emphasizes the physical properties of the inks, such as shining qualities or suitability for travel (in the case of līqs, which are ink-soaked wads of cotton or felt) (p. 58, 64). Footnote 11 suggests that 'kohl' used in recipes was likely galena (p. 60). Sugar or rock sugar was added to some inks to improve the appearance of its crystals after drying (p. 72).