mürekkebi (‘soot ink’)
Ingredients
İs (‘soot’), Arap zamkı (‘gum Arabic’), Pure water, Zâc-ı Kıbrısî (‘copper sulfate’), linseed oil, pomegranate peel juice, mazı suyu (‘thuja sap), rose-water, saffron, mersin juice
Preparation Steps
Original Recipe Text
Preparation of soot involves burning pure linseed oil in an earthenware bowl seated in soil. A wick (1-2 cm thick) is lit, and soot accumulates in a pot covering the bowl. The accumulated soot is removed with a feather and placed on porous paper. The soot is then wrapped in porous paper 2-3 times, placed inside bread dough, and baked in a cooling oven; this process softens the soot and allows the paper to absorb oils that might degrade the ink (p. 247-248). To prepare the binder, gum Arabic is soaked in cold water overnight until it reaches a honey consistency, filtered, and matured—a process that could take years (p. 248). The soot is dispersed in the gum Arabic by stirring and beating with a mallet. Historical regulations from 1629 (BOA. A.DVN. 25/24) mandated beating 10,000 times with a mallet every day for ten days (p. 248). For specific high-quality inks, pomegranate peel juice, thuja sap, and copper sulfate were boiled to a syrup consistency and added to the soot-gum mixture, followed by aromatic additives like rose-water, saffron, and mersin juice (p. 248).
Evidence
"Mostly, black is mürekkebi (‘soot ink’) was used in writings, but there were also some documents and manuscripts where colorful and gold inks were used."
Remarks
Black soot ink is valued for its permanence because its base is coal; it does not fade or decompose over time, though it is sensitive to moisture (p. 247). The removal of oil during the baking process prevents chemical damage to the paper (p. 251). The Ottoman state treated ink production with high importance, establishing quality standards via the Nizamnâme and appointing auditors like calligraphers Seyyid Abdullah Efendi and Mehmet Efendi to oversee production (p. 238, 252). In State offices, ink was often used on unsized but burnished paper to prevent any tampering with official records, as marks would be visible if scraped (p. 247).