Manuscript Location

University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Kislak Center for Special Collections - Manuscripts

Place of Origin

England ➔ Yorkshire ➔ York

Date of Composition

recipes likely ca. 1715

Description

This volume of approximately 150 leaves begins with a section of recipes written on the rectos of leaves 2 through 21, all in the same hand. The remainder of the volume is written in a number of other hands. It contains accounts, writings of various kinds, and, on the last eleven leaves, a handful of medical recipes, which are written upside-down in relation to the rest of the book. The library has determined that the book was written near York, England, at various times between 1715 (which is written on leaf 145r) and 1775 (written on leaf 138v). 

The mixed secretary-italic hand of the recipes is of the early eighteenth century as are the recipes themselves, which mostly focus on sweets. Many of the recipes concern fruit and nut preserving, such as preserved damsons, candied currants or cherries, candied almonds and almond comfits, quince marmalade, gooseberry jelly, gooseberry jam, gooseberry jumbles, and an unusual "gooseberry hopps" (leaf 5r), which involves preserving trios of whole seeded gooseberries on "thorns." Also included are recipes for plum cake, queen cakes, jumbles, macaroons, syllabub, tansy, quince cream, and quince pie. There are also recipes for mead, currant and cowslip wines, and sack posset, as well as a few non-sweet preparations, including pickled mushrooms, curds, and roast oysters. The uncommon recipe for baked "Cinnamon Pudding" (leaf 21r) calls for 4 ounces of cinnamon (approximately 1 standard U.S. cup), in ratio to "4 penny loaves" of bread (probably around 4 pounds), 2 quarts of cream, butter, eggs, sugar, and dates.