Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

Of Meale, Mil-dust, flower of Meale, Branne, fine Meale, Wheate, Starch, and mundified Barley.

THe corne being ground is turned into Meale, in such sort as that meale is no o∣ther thing but that vvhich commeth of the corne vvhen it is ground: and so the meale falleth out to be such as the corne was, that is to say, very vvhite, if so bee that the corne were pure and cleane, thick and short, such as the corne of France (proper∣ly so called) is, blacke and full of bran: if the corne were starued, small, wrinckled, full of filth and dirt▪ long and flat,* 1.1 such is the meale of Rie. But the husbandman be∣fore the grinding of his corne and turning of it into meale, must thinke with himselfe vvhether he will keepe it long or no: such as he vvill not keep, there is no need vvhy he should care of what corne he causeth it to be ground, as vvhether it be old or new threshed, neither yet how and in what maner: but such as he doth entend to keep for some time, as in a store-house for to answer the times of necessitie, hee must chuse the driest corne that he can meet vvithall, because that if it be not verie drie, it might ve∣rie quickly take heat in the meale; and so it is meete that it should bee old threshed and not new, and comming from the sheafe (although the bread that is made of corne old threshed be not so good as that which is made of new threshed corne, and that vvhich commeth fresh from the sheafe) for the meale that commeth of corne olde threshed & reserued a long time in the garner, keepeth better than that vvhich com∣meth of new threshed corne, because that the corne being driuen and laide naked from his first and vtmost huske and coate, taketh the aire, as also his vndermost coue∣ring vvherewith it is couered, and so groweth drier and harder, not only in his coate, but also in the meale and marrow inclosed therein. Whereupon it commeth to passe that this meale being left naked and voide of any coate by the grinding of the Mill, becommeth more apt to keepe in being the more drie. On the contrarie, the meale of new threshed corne, is not of so good continuance, but spoileth sooner, because that the corne new threshed, retaining yet his natiue moisture, maketh the meale the more moist and heauie, and that it can not be so drie: vvhereupon it falleth out to be more inclinable and readie to corrupt. For euen as drinesse doth preuent and hinder putri∣faction, so moisture doth hasten and help forward the same. And that it is so, vve see by experience, that the painfull husbandmen for the good keeping of their corne, do leaue it in the sheafe mowed vp in the Barne, there to Winter and sweate, causing it after such sweate to be threshed, that so they may shift it out of its place into another that is more drie, and laying vp higher in a more open ayre: vvhere being laide and gathered together in heapes, after a long and not high raised manner, he diligently bestirreth himselfe to cause it to be remoued from place to place, that so it may take the aire by little and little, but especially to ayre that vvhich lieth vnderneath, by laying it about: vvherefore it is not to be doubted but that the meale vvhich is made of corne that hath beene thus ordered in the Garner, is of much better continuance than that vvhich is of corne comming newly out of the sheafe. Besides, the husband∣m••n must giue in charge (if so be hee vvould haue his meale to keepe long) to the Miller, to grinde his corne somewhat grosse: for if it be ground fine, it is not possible for him to keepe it so long in good state and condition. Notvvithstanding, for the

well keeping of all sorts of meale, whether it bee of corne new or old threshed, you must make choice of the highest roome of all your dwelling place, whether it bee towre, towne, or towne-house, and being placed there as in a store-house, it shall bee let rest full fifteene daies, to relieue and ease it selfe of the trauell which it hath had in the grinding: after which time of rest, for the better and longer keeping of it, it will be needfull to change it oft from one place to another, and by this meanes it will be kept a whole halfe yeare, and being often remoued and changed from one place to another, it will bee increased a fift or sixt part at the least, o•• which, notwithstan∣ding, there cannot be made so good bread, as of the meale that is newly ground. And thus much for the farmers duetie about baking, which consisteth in chusing the corne, causing it to bee ground, and laying vp of the meale in some garner, either to bee kept, or to be presently vsed about the making of bread. The ordering of the meale, and making of the bread belongeth vnto the house-wife, according to the cu∣stome of the auncient Romans, amongst whom, the women of speciall note and ac∣count did worke and knead the meale, and made bread with their owne, hands, as Plutarch reporteth in his Problemes. The house-wife then being possessed of so much meale in the garner, shall goe about to doe her indeauour to make bread: but before she beginne to make it, she shall seperate the finer part thereof from the gros∣ser, with some temze, searce, or bolter, to the end that of these seuerall sorts of meale, she may make seuerall sorts of bread: the finest part of the meale is called the flower of meale, and of the Latins Pollen, whereof the pasterers or cookes for pastrie doe make wafers, and such like daintie knackes: the grossest part is the brane, called of the Latins Furfur, which commeth of the coat or huske cleauing next vnto the nar∣row and kernell of the corne. Betwixt the flower of the meale and the bran, there are yet other parts of the meale, more or lesse fine, or more or lesse grosse, according to the widenesse or narrownesse of the temze or bolter through which they passe, and according to the difference and diuersitie of these parts, there are made different and diuers sorts of bread, that is to say, more or lesse white, according to the taking forth of two, three, or foure parts of the bran, by the helpe and meanes of the bolter: be∣sides these parts and seuerall sorts, there is yet another sort of meale, which is called mill-dust,* 1.2 and this riseth vp from the corne, as it is vpon the mill, grinding vnder the mill-stone, but hereof there is no vse for bread, the millers vse to sell it onely for the vse of booke-binders and gold-smiths, to make their pastewithall: there is yet ano∣ther kind of meale, which the Italians call Semole, which is fine meale, or course flower, called of the Latins Simila, or Similago, whereof wee haue spoken before: Wee haue it not in this countrie, it is brought vnto vs from Italy and Naples, neither doe men vse to make bread with this, but either thicken their meat-broths, or else make pap-meat. It is as fine as the flower of meale, but not so white, notwithstan∣ding, hauing a colour halfe like the straw colour: It is of a very good iuice and no••∣rishment. There is yet further another sort of very white meale, that is very fine, which is commonly called in French Amydon, and of the Greeks and Latins Amy∣lon, as though it were made without mill-stones. It hath heretofore beene made di∣uers waies, but in this countrie they vse to make it in this sort: They chuse the faire•••• and purest wheate that may bee got, and cause it to bee ground verie finely: which done, they cast the ground meale into a vessell whch the other fill vp with water, scumming off the bran that swimmeth aloft, and after passing all the water through a cloth or strainer, and then they put new water into the vessell, which they likewise straine in such manner as they did the former, leauing the white meale in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whither it is setled: and this they drie in the heate of the Sunne about the dog daies; and when it is dried, it becommeth hard, and is afterward broken into gobb••••s, and so made into fine meale.

You may make meale likewise of other corne, than of wheate, as of barley, 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ mes••••, secourgeon, and many other sorts of graine, whereof wee haue said before that bread is woont to bee made in the time of dearth and famine, or else in poore countries that haue want of other, or at least of better corne. Barley meale is very full

of branne: and hence it commeth that the bread made thereof,* 1.3 doth losen the belly. Notwithstanding, there vvas in old time made of Barley a sort of meale vvhich vvas called Polenta,* 1.4 that is to say, of Barley newly dried, then fried, and afterward ground: and this vvas vsed to make pappe-meate of, or else to put in meate brothes to thicken them. Some doe the like vvith mundified Barley.

The Meale of Rie is likewise full of branne,* 1.5 but that of Oates is yet more full: not∣vvithstanding that, Oatmeale vvhich is made of Oates husked, is a vvelcome dish to the tables of great Lords. The Meale of Rice is vvhiter than any of the rest. As for the Meale of Pulse, it is oftner made by being braied in the mortar, than by grinding: howsoeuer, it may more commodiously and a great deale better bee made vvith the Mill.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To keep Mea••e.
• * 1.2

  Mill-dust.
• * 1.3

  Barley meale
• * 1.4

  Polenta.
• * 1.5

  The meale of Rice and Oats, O••tmeale, Rice∣meale.