To Make Ye White Drink

This recipe hails from the late seventeenth century, attributed to Mary Cruso, an Englishwoman active around 1689. In such an era, the 'white drink' was a gentle restorative, intended more as a medicinal tonic than as an everyday beverage. Burnt hartshorn was prized for its supposed strengthening and clarifying properties, often recommended for convalescents and those seeking to cool or cleanse the blood. The addition of bread was a common thickener and soothing element, while cinnamon water lent a subtle, aromatic grace—balancing the medicinal notes with gentle spice. Double refined sugar, a luxury at the time, denotes the recipe’s association with genteel households. Recipes like this showcase the overlapping worlds of early modern cookery and domestic medicine. They sit at the intersection of nourishment and remedy, offering a glimpse into how taste, health, and culinary creativity mingled centuries ago.

The original preparation would have involved a sturdy brass or copper boiling pot, set over an open hearth or fire, with wooden stirring paddles. Hartshorn would be ground with a mortar and pestle, and the loaf’s crumb broken up by hand or with a wooden spoon. Straining was done through a muslin cloth, jelly bag, or linen napkin. Measuring was often by judgment or with simple weights and measures, relying on experienced hands and sharp eyes.