Section 33

To make Bread of Wall-nuts^
T)iof cor ides faith there is a kind of Thiftle commonly found in the waters , that one* ly in Rivers brings forth a certain feed as big as a Chef-nut, with three points, mem- branous, full of white pith , that taftes like Chef-ruts j they call them water- chef- nuts vulgarly , and the Inhabitants ufe them in meats , as they do Chef-nuts. Pil- grims make Chapelets of them. The Thracians that dwell by the River Strimon, fat their horfes with this Thiftle when it is green , and of the fame feed they make Bread to cat. Moreover, in places where they grow amongft us , the Inhabitants when provifion is dear make Bread of them • as at Ferrara they do of Chef-uuts, and the Brutii roft them in the embers and eat them for juncates. Almoft in the fame manner.
To make Bread of the Lote trie.
Theophrafitu teacheth ir. The Lote-tree grows in plain ground, where the Coun- tries are overflowed with water. The fruit is like a Bean naturally , but lefs and more flender. That which grows on the head comes forth promifcuoufly, as Beans do many and very thick together : When the Sun fets, it cfofeth, and opens when he rifeth , and fprings up above the water. The head is as great as a Poppy-head, where it grows in Euphrates. The Egyptians lay thofe heads on heaps to putrefie ; and when the fliclls are putrefied , they wafh them in a River , and part the fruit from them, and dry it, and break it and make bread of it , and eat it. PHtty, There is alfo bread made of the feed of it, like to Millet feed, in Egypt by the Shepherds, and rhey knead it with water efpecially, or with milk. They fay that nothing is more wholefom then that bread, or lighter whilfl it is hot, but cold it is harder to divert and becomes heavy. It is certain, that thofe who live upon that are never troubled with Dyfenteries, Tenafmus,or any difcafes of the belly. And therefore ic is one of their remedies. For it was of old a cuftom
Te
Natural Mag i ex. ©00^4..
To make bread of Dates,
which Pliny writes of, Dates that arc very dry cf Thebes and Arabia, that are dea- der and very lean, with a continual vapour they are terrified , and are covered ra^ ther with a Shel then a Skin. In Ethiopia it is crumbled (fo great is the draught) and like meal it is made into bread.
Bread of the Mulberrj-figtree,
In Caria and Rhodes there is a great Fig of Egypt, or increafe of the Sycamore-tree, and in the neighbouring places where there is little wheat , the people for want of cornufe it for bread, and for all bread corn. So great and continual plenty is there of that Apple, and abundance of bread is made of it pleafingto the ftomach ; but it affords but little nutriment , and we might make the fame if we would. We find it in Writers of husbandry,
How we may make bread without leaven,
Out oi'Didymm fome adde Nitre , for Nitre makes bread more crumbly , as it doth flefh alfo. Some the day before they make their bread, call Grapes into the water, and the next day when they will make their bread they take them away , for they fwim above the water , and they prefs them out , and ufe the moifture preffed forth for leaven , and fo they make their bread more pleafing. If you would have leaven laft you all the year, when the new wine hath boiled in the vefTels, Skim off the froth that boils on the top,and mingle with it Millet-meal,and work it well together, and make morfels of it, which dry in the Sun , and lay up in a moift place j and you may take a fufficient quantity and ufe it for leaven.
Chap. XVIt.
Divers forts of Bread made of Roots and fruits,
NOw We (hall proceed to other kinds of bread , found out in our days , that are nofmall profit to us when corn is dear.
How to make bread of the Roots ofCttckowpixt,
the root of Wake-Robin , when it is not too acrimonious is eaten and defired in meat?. Diofcorides faith, The decoSion was drank , as not _ being over fharp. Galen, That it was eaten as Rape-roots, and in fome Countries k grows more corroding. To prepare it rightly , pour out the water of the firft boyling, and prcfently caft it into other hot water. In Cyrene thofe Roots areotherwife then amongft us, for there it is no Phyfical root, and is not acrimonious at all , fo that it is more profitable then a Rape-root. Alfo our forefathers , when Corn was dear ufed this Root in meats with great profit. Cafarde bellocivili, Alio there is a kind of Root, found by them that were mxh Valerius, which is called Chara, which mingled with milk releived a Souldier that was hungry, and it was made up like to bread. There wa* great plenty of this Root , and of it bread was oij de , when thofe of Pompey his fide objected to our Souldiers that they wanred food, they would commonly throw thefe at them, that they might deceive their expectation. And a little after the Army ufed this and were very healthful. And in Diofcorides in the falfe names of fimples , Cuckow-pint was of old called Chara, with us it is fo acri- monious that we fcarce can endure to touch it with our tongues. But I fhall open thereafon how excellent bread may be made of it, and if I may fay fo , better then Wheat-bread.The great Roots are made clean,and they are cut into fmall thin plates, for the thinner they are cut, the fooner will they become pleafant , and they muft boil in veflels of hot water, until you perceive the water grow ftiarp and the Roots fomewhat fwect • pour out the former water , and pcur in fre(h,
Of increafing of Hou/hold-fluffe. 14^
then boil them again, till the water become fweet , and the root when it is chewed hath no acrimony left. Then take them out of the water , and put them upon lin- nen cloths, extended and hanging up until they be dry, then grind thera in hand- mils and the meal will be exceeding white, which by it felf a with a third part of wheat-meal added to it, will make mod pure bread and well tailed: There are other ways to make it fooner ; when you hive obtained this art,you will be exceed- ing glad I am very certain of it. For with great pleafurc
Bread of t/ffpfodils U eaten. This is fo fruitful of round-heads with us, that no Plant Jiath more, for oftimes 8d heads will be heaped together. Moreover, Mountains and Sca-fhores are full of them , that it may be truly thought to be made for mans meat. ?/*»;, The Daffo- dil is eaten with the feed and head terrified. But this rotted in the embers as Hefi~ «d affirrris , is eaten with oyle alfo braied with figs , it is eaten with great pleafurc. Thefe Round-heads are like to Navews of moderate bignefs. So faith Galen alfo. But with us they are fo unpleafant , and acrimonious in taft , that a man cannot eat them j and Sowcs digging them up with their fnowts , will hardly feed on theoi* no not when we want corn can we eat this in our greateft hunger, it was the poor fair of frugal antiquity .But by boiling,the(harpnefs of it becomes more mild,and the heat of it more tolerable , as we faid of C*c£?w-pint. It will be fufficient to fatif- fie a mans hunger,as of old it was ufed : As Pliny faith, We have made molt whole- fom bread of thefe mingled with meal , efpccially for men watted and in confump- tions,alfo
Bread is made ofl^ape-reots, Tttrneps, and Sktrworts*
For of thofe boil'dand cooked, firft cleanfedfrom all excrements \ a moft com- mendable bread may be made , as I have tried : But meal mutt be mingled with them to a third part, or elfe half as much of one, and the other as we (hall (new a lit- tle after. And not to be tedious , the fame way-bread to eat , may be made of all Navews, Roots, or Bulbous-heads. Alfo there is made
Excellent bread ef (jourdsy For Gourds may be had very cheap, and they make favoury bread with meal , and fo the bread is greater, for this is the greateft of all fruits ; for with a very little meal in time of Famine we may feed many men, and not onelyufeit for need, but for dainties alfo : for feafoned with Sugar, and prepared for mens pallats, and to quench fetverifh heats, they are carried about every where to be fold. The way to make them up is this, Take great round Gourds , and fully ripe, and cut into many pieces the dry skin , and the pith mutt be taken from them with a knife ; put them into a kettle of boiling water, and boil them , for by long boiling the grafly greennefs, and the rank fmell and loathfom tatte are taken away, and they will fmell better and tatte , and Bourifh better, and will latt as long as bread. Being now brought to the form of an ointment, prefs it through a linnen ttrainer with your hands , that if any parts of it be not well boiled or any woddy pieces be there , they may be kept back by the narrownefs of the ttraioer. To this Mafs, adde a third part of meal , and make them into bread together , which will be pleafant to eat daily , I will not have you to eat yonr fill of it, but if you cat it moderately it will profit much. When it is new it is excellent, butftale, it isnotfo fightly nor dainty. I have fhew'd you the way how yon mutt nfc fuch things of fuperfluous moifture , now do you learn wifely to do it.
m, 1
CHAP.
Natural Magick. 'Boofy*
Chap. XVIII. Divers ways to make bread of all forts of Corn and Pulfe*
ANtiently they made Bread of divers kinds of Com and Palfe, it would be necdlefs to repeat them , for you may find them in the Books of the Ancients, and there can be no error in making them. In Campania very fweet bread is made of Millet : Alio the peopJe of Sarmatia are chiefly fed Yf ith this bread, and with the raw meal tempered with Mares-milk, or blood drawn out of the veins of their legs. The Ethiopians know no other Corn then Millet and Barley. Some parts of France ufe Panick, but chiefly Aquitane : Bur Italy about Po, adde Beans to it , without which they make nothing. The people of Ponttts prefer no meat before Panick. Pa- nick meal now adays is neglected by us and out of ufe , for it is dry and of fmall nouriflament • of Millet bread and cakes arc made, but they are heavy and hard of digeuion and clammy to eat. Unlefs they be eaten prefently when chey are newly baked, or hot, elfe they become heavy and compact together. Of the Indian LMais, heavy bread is made and not pleafant at all, very dry and earthly next to Millet : like to this is bread called Exfergo , that is alfo void of nutrimental jaice. There was alfo of old bread called Ornidos, made of a certain feed of Ethiopia , fo like Sefamum that it is hard to know them afunder. Alfo
Bread is made ofLupins^ The beft kind was known alio to theAntients; VozVidymtu teadheth how Lupins will grow fweet , being three days infufed in River or bea-water, and when they grow mild they muft be dried and laid afide , and then the meal of them mingled with Barley-meal or Wheat-meal is fit to make bread. But we make it thus, Firft the Lupins are ground in mills, and are made into flower : fifcy pound of thefe are put into a wooden vcfld , and fair water is call upon them, that it may fwim four fingers breadth above them ; and it mutt be often ftirred with a woodden fticfcj then let it fettle till the water grow clear, and the meal fink down, then l\ rain the water well, that n© meal be loft ; and pour on water the fecond time , andftiric as before ; do fo the third time till the meal and water be come fweet, which will be done in one day if the water be often changed. As that i done, put the meal into a linnen cloth laid abroad , that the meal may be feperated with a wooden flice, and the water may run away through the cloth , and the meal may dry the better upon the cloth. In the mean time boil two pound of Rice , and being boil'd mingle them with the Lupins, divide the whole into two parts, and mingle one with the leaven and a hundred pound of wheat-meal, and make bread of it ; let the other be fet by with the leven till the next day, which being mingled again with wheat-meal, will make excellent bread, and will not tafte of Lupins. But you muft ufe all diligence in the making of it, for if you make it not of the beft meal, the bread will be naught , wherefore the work lies in the right preparation of it : For the worfeCorn or Pulie you make it of, the more Corn muft betaken to pre- pare it. After this manner it may be made of Tares and Vetches , and the favour of them is dulcified with water and mingling meal with them. Bread is made alfo of Beafon, Ghiches, Tarfes, Lentils, Beans, and chiefly of Acorns. But it is not un- profitable to make
Bread of Herbs,
If a man cut the Herb Clot-bur fmall and grind it in a mill to very fine powder , and adde as much or a third part of wheat' meal to it, it will make good bread, that may be eaten when there is a famine ; and I have heard that the poor eat it in tome places , and it hurts them not , and that fomc in a fiege have lived a moncth with fuch bread.
CHAP.
Of increafmg of Hou/hold^/luffe.
145
Chap. XIX. Hew bread may be increased in weight.
NO* I fHall fhew how bread may be augmented ; a thing very ftrange and pro- fitable, not onely to help in time of need, but it is good for the Houfholder, for with little meal he may nourifh many, and fill their bellies ; and that three wayes : For there be things that added to Corn, will increaie the fubftance of the bread; other things are dry, and of a clammy oature, that will thicken the Ele- ment by refra&ion into the fubftance of bread. The laft way is the life of the heat of it, whereby it waxes and grows as if it were alive. As much as is loft by the bran taken from it, is added to it, by calting water on it when it is ground, and in theother workmanfhip. Moreover, the baking of bread takes away a tenth part and a half of the weight. Let us fee how our Anceftors did by lbme Earth or
Cbalkjnake their bread more weighty and white. T/iny teacheth that Spelt will grow white by a kind of chalk, thus. Let this Spek be of B;er-corn, which he called a feed } the corns of it are bruifed in a wooden morter, for itwillbefpoilcdandconfumedbythehardnefsof aftone: thebeftas it is well known, is made by thofe that are condemned to bray in mortcrs for their punifhment. For the beft there is an iron box, the hulls being then beaten off; again, with the fame inftruments the marrow of it being made bare, is broken; fo are there made three kinds ©f this Spelt-meal, the fineft, the fecond fort, and the third that is the courfeft. But yet they are not white, which makes them excellent, yet now are theie preferved at Alexacdria ; after this, (it is very ftrange) chalk is mingled with them, that p?ffe« both into the body and the colour of them, and makes them tender. You fhall find this between Puteoli and Naples, on the Hill called Leucogaruroj And there is ext ant a decree of Dtvtts JittguBw, wherein he commanded to pay them at Naples yearly 20000 Seftertiaout of his Treafury; drawing hi? Colony to Capua, and he affigns the caufe,by reafon that they of Cam- pania affiitned that Spelt- meal could not be made without that ft one.
Rice maizes bread weigh.
It neither corrupts the tafte or goodnefs of the bread, but increafeth both, and it brings it cloferby one eighth part, for by a continual turning it, it will retain eth volatil meal ; and from hence you fhall fee it coagulate, and when it is coagulated put leaven to it ; but it muft firft grow cold, left the force of the coagularion fhould be hindred. To binde this fugitive fervant faft, adde fo much Wheat-meal as may fallen it well together, till you fee there is enough, and you fhall find it increafed to the weight deftred. By this example