fine-quality lamp-black

Ingredients

mustard-oil, fine-skinned lemons, sponges

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

In the early private printing practices of Nawabi Lucknow, fine-quality lamp-black was produced by lighting thousands of lamps filled with mustard-oil. During the lithographic process, the printers substituted traditional acid with fine-skinned lemons and used sponges instead of cloth to ensure the highest quality of the printed text (p. 156).

Evidence

"For the ink, thousands of lamps of mustard-oil were lighted to produce fine-quality lamp-black. Instead of acid, fine-skinned lemons were used and sponges took the place of cloth."

Remarks

Abdul Halim Sharar notes that these religious and educational books were produced irrespective of cost, prioritizing the standards of discriminating eyes. The use of high-quality ingredients like mustard-oil for ink was part of the transition of Islamic scribal traditions into the modern print shop (p. 156).