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Lancs Archives DDSP/56/11/3/8 |
"Take a peck of garden snails wash them in a bowl of beer and put them in a brass pan...."
So starts the recipe for Snail Water. I've added the full transcript at the end, if your curiousity overcomes your nausea...I guarantee you won't want to be nomming on anything for a while if you do. So lose weight by reading on!
I happened on this delightful concoction at the Lancashire Archives . in Preston. It is part of the collection made by Wilf Spencer who was Colne Librarian for decades at a time of accelerating change - the 1920s onwards.
The recipe comes from what's described in the catalogue as book of 'Cordial Waters, Simple Waters and Syrups'. It doesn't have a date, but judging from the handwriting and spelling I'd say it was written down between 1800 and 1820-ish. Lancashire was a bit of a back-water even then, so the spelling and phraseology come from an earlier age.
The snails are by no means the least of it. The recipe then calls for a quart of earthworms pounded to a mush, and two handfuls of sheep or goose dung.
That's revolting. But two things spring immediately to my mind: firstly, many ancient remedies refer to the use of animal dung, even going back into ancient Egyptian times. Secondly, is this a manifestation of the ancient notion that if it's horrible it must drive out some other 'badness'?
The broth is repeatedly fermented, boiled and distilled and a whole rack of herbs and spices are then added, and lastly - probably most importantly - it is recommended to be taken with sugar or lemon syrup ('syrup of sittern'). So like cough-sweets, the main flavour is going to be sweetness. Which will surely help to mask the snails, worms and dung. But in fairness, after all that boiling and distilling, hopefully any harmful bacteria have been killed off and sieved out. Hmm?
The writer of the recipe recommends it for helping ease measles, smallpox, convulsions, the ague, wind, infants and newborns illnesses and faintness.
Here's the full recipe: don't try this at home!
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Lancs Archives DDSP/56/11/3/8 |
Take a peck of garden snails wash them in a bowl of beer and put them in a Brass pan. Set them over a clear fire and Stir them as long as they make any noise then take 'em out and with a knife and a coarse cloth pick them and wipe away all the green froth from them very clean then in a stone mortar bruise shells and all take also a quart of earthworms slit 'em and scour them with salt and then wash and beat 'em in a stone Mortar then make your Pott very clean upon which you purpose to set your Still, take also 2 green handfuls of Angelico and 2 of saladine and lay them in the bottom and put upon them the snails and worms with sheeps dung and goose dung either of them 2 handfuls, then put in a quart of Rose Mary flowers also of Egrimony Barefoot & Red dock roots of the bark of Barbary of wood Sorrel of each of these 2 handfulls apiece, of Rue half an handful of fennygreek and Turmerick one Ounce, of saffron well dryed and powdered the weight of 6d then pour in 3 gallons of your Strongest Ale and cover your Pott and let it stand a day or 2 and one night at least close stopped in the place where you mean to put your fire under it in that morning before you put your fire under it put to them of good cloves beaten to powder one Ounce of harts horn 6 Ounces you must not stir it after you have put in the horn lest it go down to the bottom then still it up in an ordinary still but then it will not be so strong take water as long as there is any strength in it and mingle all together and stop it close and drink 4 spoonfulls of this water with Sugar in any great distemper of heat sweeten it with syrup of Sittern in stead of Sugar as in Feaver Small Pox or meazels it is good at the beginning of an Ague to take half an hour before the cold fitt comes. It is good for faintness and restoreth the spirits for Convulsions and for the Worms and the best thing that young Children can take for the wind is one Spoonfull all thereof being made sweet with Sugar when they be undrest in the afternoon for a bigger child two spoonful or more, and in all other cases it is best to take it going to bed for new born children keep of the middle sort neither of the Strongest nor of the Smallest of all it will be stronger if it be Stilled in a Glass still close luted but for want of that the other will serve