"To make catchup to keep twenty years. Take a gallon of strong stale beer, one pound of anchovies washed from the pickle, a pound of shalots, peeled, half an ounce of mace, half an ounce of cloves, a quarter of an ounce of whole pepper, three or four large races of ginger, two quarts of the large mushroom-flaps rubbed to pieces. Cover all this close, and let it simmer till it is half wasted, then strain it through a flannel-bag; let it stand till it is quite cold, then bottle it. You may carry it to the Indies."
Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery (1774)
Planning a twenty-year sea voyage to the Indies, but unsure which condiments to pack? This mushroomy ketchup will sustain and console you for decades.
It will last 20 years because it sounds absolutely disgusting...no one will eat it!
ReplyDeleteI don't know -- if I were half wasted, I might think it very similar to Worchestershire sauce (which I wouldn't be able to spell were I half wasted:)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds delicious actually. Both mushrooms and anchovies are good sources for umami. It sounds like it would make a pretty big batch though, would need a good sized stock pot and a fair amount of kitchen ventilation before it was ready.
ReplyDeleteKetchup has only been made from tomatoes in modern times; this dish is actually what the word "ketchup" referred to for most of its existence. And it is supposed to be *very* similar to Worchestershire sauce.
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