folium

Ingredients

Chrozophora tinctoria (turnsole) fruits, sal-ammoniac (naushādur), moist soil, unglazed earthen pot (kuzeh), muslin cloth, cold water

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Two techniques are detailed in Persian historical treatises from the 15th–19th centuries. Technique 1 (Moist Soil): Gather turnsole seeds in summer and extract essence. Dip muslin cloth into the extract three times, drying in the shade after each dip. Mix soil with sal-ammoniac solution (nušador) and place the cloth inside the soil for 1 hour until it turns blue like lapis lazuli (lājevard). To dye paper, squeeze the dye from the cloth into cold water and filter (p. 10-11). Technique 2 (Earthen Pot): Take turnsole fruits and soak a clean cloth in the extract three to four times. Take sal-ammoniac, grind it fine, and place in an unglazed earthen pot. Add warm water and shake to froth. Place in the sun for several days until dry, then place the extract-soaked cloth inside the dry jar to obtain a blue clothlet. To dye paper, add water to the clothlet and extract the blue dye (p. 12-13).

Evidence

"While Persian recipes predominantly focus on the use of folium as a dye for paper, the identification of this dye within Islamic manuscripts opens new avenues for investigation"

Remarks

Persian treatises such as Resāleh-ye Joharīyeh and Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Kāğaḏ distinguish folium (extracted from turnsole) from indigo (nil) and blue flower extracts (golhā-ye kabud), noting that folium is better for paper dyeing but can be unstable, eventually turning from blue to purple (p. 10). The study notes that in Iran, turnsole was used for luxury manuscripts, whereas in Europe it was often relegated to utilitarian uses like coloring paper for sugar loaves (p. 8).