To Preserue Angillica Roots

This recipe comes from Susanna Packe's collection, dating to 1674—a period characterized by a blossoming interest in preserving botanicals for both medicinal and culinary uses in England. Angelica and elecampane roots were valued for their aromatic and digestive qualities. Home cooks would often preserve the bounty of their kitchen gardens using sugar, a prized and increasingly accessible commodity in the 17th century. Recipes like this were both a practical method of food preservation and a sign of gentility and domestic accomplishment, often shared among the literate elite through handwritten recipe books passed down through families.

This recipe would have been made in a well-stocked early modern English kitchen. The cook would use iron or brass saucepans or cauldrons set over a wood or coal-fired hearth for boiling both the roots and the syrup. A sharp knife would scrape and cut the roots, while wooden spoons or paddles would stir the syrup. Strainers made from cloth or mesh would help remove roots from their boiling water or syrup. Jars made from glass or glazed pottery, often sealed with cloth and parchment, would serve as vessels for the final preserved product.