Recipe Manuscript

To Make Mrs Looks Balsom

Name: To Make Mrs Looks Balsom
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT40M
Yield: 10
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 450 g leaf lard (pork kidney fat), skin removed; 20 ml rosewater; 56 g pine resin (substitute for stone pitch); 56 g beeswax; 470 ml olive oil (best quality); 113 g St. John's Wort infused oil (can substitute with calendula oil); 4 g jojoba wax (as substitute for spermaceti); 0.13 g ambergris or a drop of high-quality ambergris essence (optional)

1695

From the treasured pages of Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz

Written by Granville family

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Other

Original Recipe • 1695

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Make Mrs Looks Balsom

"Take apound of Leafe Garron Hog Take of ye skin and beat it well with Rose watter then Take two ounces of stone Pitch two ounces of bees wax apint of best Oyle Incorporate these over a soft fire till they be all in one Body Straine it through a cloth then put to it 4 ounces of oyle of st Johns and one dram of spermesity give it a warm over ye fire to mixt yem well put it up in a pott with two grains of ambergreese +"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe employs early modern English spelling and conventions, using abbreviations like 'apound' (a pound) and 'apint' (a pint), and listing quantities without strict standardization. Spellings are often phonetic, and certain terms like 'spermesity' refer to spermaceti (the wax from sperm whales, now obsolete in most contexts). Recipes from this era are more like lists of instructions for those already familiar with the processes, omitting some details by modern standards. Measurements were sometimes approximate and tools assumed. The text exemplifies the collaborative, evolving nature of household recipe books in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz (1695)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Granville family

Era

1695

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful journey through the culinary traditions of the Granville family, this historical recipe collection serves up a taste of English kitchens from the 17th and early 18th centuries. Brimming with time-honored techniques and flavors, it invites modern readers to savor the spirited inventiveness of early modern home cooks.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe, known as 'Mrs. Look's Balsom', hails from the Granville family’s household archive, V.a.430, dating between roughly 1640 and 1750 in England. It exemplifies the period's approach to domestic medicine, where household members prepared their own salves, ointments, and remedies for skin and other minor ailments. Balsams like this one were highly prized for their soothing and healing properties, reflecting both traditional herbal knowledge and a hint of luxurious splendor with ingredients like ambergris. Such recipes were written and exchanged mainly among women, signifying both their expertise and their central role in health care at home.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks and apothecaries of the time would have used a heavy mortar and pestle to pound the lard, along with large brass or copper pans for slow melting over open hearth fires or candle flames. Straining through muslin or linen cloths, they decanted the warm mixture into stoneware or glass pots, and used wooden spoons or spatulas for mixing. Gentle, indirect heat was key to prevent scorching the delicate oils and waxes.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 lb leaf lard (pork kidney fat), skin removed
0.7 fl oz rosewater
2 oz pine resin (substitute for stone pitch)
2 oz beeswax
1 pint olive oil (best quality)
4 oz St. John's Wort infused oil (can substitute with calendula oil)
0.14 oz jojoba wax (as substitute for spermaceti)
0.005 oz ambergris or a drop of high-quality ambergris essence (optional)

Instructions

Start with approximately 1 pound of pork leaf lard (the soft fat from around a pig's kidneys), removing the skin if present.
Chop the fat and gently pound it, moistening with a splash of rosewater (about 0.7 fl oz) until it forms a smooth paste.
Add 2 ounces each of stone pitch (substitute with refined pine resin, as stone pitch is not easily available) and beeswax.
Then, pour in 1 pint of high-quality olive oil.
Warm these together over a very low heat, stirring until fully blended, but avoid letting the mixture boil.
Strain the hot mixture through a fine cloth or sieve to remove any solids.
Stir in 4 ounces of infused oil of St.
John's Wort (or a similar skin-soothing oil if unavailable) and about 0.14 ounces of spermaceti (substitute with cosmetic-grade jojoba wax, as spermaceti is no longer ethically sourced).
Gently warm the mixture again, stirring, until fully homogenous.
Finally, decant into clean pots, and add a tiny pinch (about 0.005 ounces) of ambergris (a luxury aromatic, nowadays substituted with a drop of ambergris essence or left out).
Seal your pots and cool.

Estimated Calories

200 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparing this balm takes about 30 minutes, including chopping and pounding the fat, measuring ingredients, and setting up your workspace. Cooking is gentle and takes around 40 minutes, mainly for melting, stirring, and combining everything. The recipe fills about 10 small 60 ml jars, and each serving contains about 200 calories, as it's made from rich animal fats and oils.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.