The historie of the vvorld: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland Doctor of Physicke. The first [-second] tome

CHAP. XI.

¶ Of Lenains: the manner of making bread: sundrie kinds of bread: about what time Bakers were first knowne at Rome: of Sieues and Serces, of Rangers and Bul∣ters. Last of all, of the Frumentie called Alica.

THe meale of Millet is singular good for Leuains, if it be wrought and incorporat in new wine, for so it may be kept a whole yeare. The like is made of the better brans of wheat, so [unspec I] they be small, sat, and not to neer raunged; and the same be kneaded in new white wine of three daies old, and then dried in the sunne. Hereof is made a dough or past, and the same is re∣duced into certain round cakes or Trosches to serue for the making of bread; for these must be soked and dissolued in hot water with the floure of the corn Zea, and therein be sodden, which don, they vse to mingle it with the meale and floure to make past of, which they hold to be the best way of making bread. The Greeks haue set down this proportion, allowing to euery pecke or Modius of Meale, 8 ounces of leuaine; and this they thinke to be sufficient. Now these kinds of leuains verily canot be made, but only in time of vintage. But if a man would make leuaines at any other time, he may take of barly meal tempred with water so much as it may be brought into a past; and when there be certain lumps or cakes herof made, weighing two pound apeece, they must be baked either vpon the hearth vnder hot embres, or els in an earthen pan ouer the [unspec K] coles, vntill such time as they looke brown and red withal. Afterwards they be put vp close co∣uered in pots or fuch like vessels, & there remain vntil they wax sower. Now when a man would vse leuain, herof he taketh what he will, and dissolueth it as is a foresaid. In old time when they made barley bread, they vsed no other leuain for it but only the meale of Eruile or Cich pease; and ordinarie it was, to take two pound thereof for * 1.1 two peckes and an halfe of meale: but now adaies the order of our huswiues is, to make leuaines of the very same meale which is kneaded and wrought into dough, before salt be put therto, which they seeth to the consistence of a pulp or thicke batter, and so let it lie vntill it become sowre. And yet commonly they doe not boile their leuains but only reserue some of the past or dough, wherof they make their bread the day [unspec L] before. As tonching the nature of Leuain, certain it is that it proceeded of sourenesse, like as it is generally held, that they be stronger of bodie who feed of leuained bread: for in old time it was verily thought, that of the weightiest and heauiest kind of wheat, there was made the hole∣somest bread.

Concerning the sundrie sorts of bread that is made, it seemeth a needlesse peece of work to set them down euery one in particular: for sometimes bread taketh the name of the meats and viands that be eaten therewith: as for example, Oister-bread, so called for that it was good with oisters: otherwhiles it bears the name of some daintie cates, as Artologanus, [i. pancake, fritter, or fine cake bread.] As for the bread called Speusticus, [i. Hastie] it is so called, because it was made in hast. The manner also of the baking giueth denomination to some bread; as to Furna∣ceus panis, which wa•…•… •…•…ade in a furnace; to Artoptitius, made in a baking-pan called Artopta: [unspec M] as also to that which was baked in an ouen. Not long since also there was a new deuice of ma∣king bread brought out of Parthia, which because the past is drawne through water (and yet a spungious, light, and hollow substance it carries) they call water-bread, and giue it the denomi∣nation

of Parthicke bread. But howsoeuer it be, the best bread is of the finest wheat floure, that [unspec A] hath passed through a smal tamis bulter. Some countries there be, that knead their dough with milke or egs; others also put butter thereto: but those be such nations as are not troubled with wars, since that they can haue while to set their minds on sundry sorts of pastry. The Picenes in times past inuented away by themselues of making bread, with the very matter or substance of the frumentie Alica; and surely that deuise holdeth stil and is much vsed. The manner thereof is this: They take the said frumentie past and steep it in water nine daies; on the tenth day they work or knead it with the juice of Raisons, to the fashion of the Parthick cake driuen thin and broad, after this they put it into earthen pots, set them in ouens for to frie & bake, that the said pots may there breake in sunder: and beeing thus hard baked, it is not to be eaten vnlesse it be soked in some lipuor, which ordinarily is milke, or mead especially. [unspec B]

There were no Bakers known at Rome for the space of 580 yeres after the foundation of the citie, vntill the Persian warre. Before that time euery Roman citizen had his owne bread baked at home, and womens work commonly it was, like as at this day it is in most countries: for this appeareth by Plautus, who in his Comoedy entituled Aulularia, maketh mention of * 1.2 Artopta, a baking pan [which men haue vsually in their houses:] and hereupon is growne much dispute and controuersie betweene learned men about this Question. Whether that verse were of that Poets making or no? for certain it is (acording to the opinion of A. Atteius Capito) that at such mens bourds as kept great houses and delicate fare, there was no other bread eaten but such as Cookes were wont to make them, after the maner of simnels: for Pistores were those only then called, who husked and cleansed the bearded red wheat named in Latin Far; and others Bakers than they, were there none. Neither had the Romane citizens in ordinarie, any Cookes as their [unspec C] houshold seruants, but hired them out of the market whensoeuer they had any meat to dresse.

Diuers sorts of sieues and bulters there be. The Sarce made of horse haire, was a deuise of the Frenchmen: the tamis raunger for course bread, as also the fine floure boulter for manchet, (made both of linnen cloth) the Spaniards inuented. In Aegypt they made them of Papyr reed and rushes. But now that we are entred so far into this matter as touching corne, I thinke it not amisse before I proceed any farther, to speak (with the first) of the frumentie called Alica, and the manner thereof being (as it is) so excellent and wholsome to be eaten; and which, no doubt, throughout all Italy, bears the name for the very best of all corne whatsoeuer. No question, but there is made thereof in Aegypt; howbeit nothing to the other. In Italy, many places there be where it is to be had, as namely in the territories of Verona and Pisae: but that of Campain ca∣rieth [unspec D] the price and praise aboue all the rest: a champion or plaine countrey this is, for the space of forty miles lying as a vale vnder the hils and mountaines, subject to watery clouds and tem∣pestuous winds. The soile of this whole tract (to speake directly of the nature thereof and defer no longer) is light and dustie, if a man respect the vpper coat thereof, but vnderneath it drinks in much moisture, whereunto apt it is by reason of certain fistulous porosities therin, like a pu∣mish stone: in which regard, the mountaines commanding these plaines (ill neighbors other∣whiles) do it much good and mend the soile very well; for many a sound showre, which ordina∣rie falleth from the hills) passeth and runneth through it, as it were a colander; by means wher∣of, the ground standeth not drenched and soked with water, but is thereby more pliable & easie to be tilled. Now this soile hauing thus receiued store of water, doth not yeeld it vp again boi∣ling [unspec E] out at any springs, but keepeth and cherisheth it still within, as it were the radical and nu∣tritiue humor, concocting the same to a very good temperature. All the yere long a man shall see it sown and standing with corn, one or other; for the same ground bears one crop of Panick, and two of the red wheat Far: it neuer resteth but beareth somwhat: for say that some lands lye fallow between-while, and are not sowed with corn; they yeeld roses in the spring of themselues naturally, and those far sweeter than the garden roses: so fruitful is it and canot abide to be idle and do nothing. Herupon arose the prouerb of this land of Campaine, That greater store is there to be found of sweet perfumes and odoriferous ointments, than of simple oyle in other countries whatsoeuer. And looke how much this tract of Campaine surpasseth all other lands in goodnesse and fer∣tility, so much excelleth one quarter therof (called in Latin Laboriae, and by the Greeks Phle∣graeum) [unspec F] all the rest, and goeth beyond it selfe. This plain aforesaid named Laboriae, is confined on both sides with the great causeis or high waies raised by the Consuls, and thereupon called Consulares; the one goeth from Puteoli, the other from Cumes, and lead both to Capua.

But to come againe vnto our Frumentie Alica, made it is of the graine Zea, which before we [unspec G] tearmed by the generall name of Seed. This corne for to make Frumenty, is to be pound in a wodden morter, when it should be cleansed from the huske: for if a man beat in one of stone, the hardnesse thereof would bruise and breake it. The best way of cleansing and husking it, is with a pestill, such as bondslaues and prisoners do vse to stamp withall, and to work by task for their punishment: in the forepart therof it hath a circle of yron, made in fashion of a round Box: wherewith after the corne is drawn naked out of the husk, the very same instrument serueth a∣gain to stamp and bruise the white marrow and floure thereof within. And thus by this means there be three sorts of Alica or Fourmentie aforesaid. The finest, which is the best: the meane, which is the second: and the greatest or grossest, which the Greekes call Aphaerema.

When all this is done, yet haue they not that whitenesse of their owne, for which cause they [unspec H] are so much esteemd; as namely, those that are come nowadays from Alexandria, which are ta∣ken to be the best and to excell all other. And therfore there is chalk (a wonderfull thing to be spoken) mingled afterwards and incorporate therwith, and so by that means the Frumenty be∣comes white and tender withall. Now this chalke or plastre is found between Puteoli and Na∣ples, in a little hill which thereupon is called Leuco-gaeon, [i. white earth.] And in truth when Augustus Caesar, late Emperor of Rome, erected a colonie at Capua, and peopled it with Roman citizens, he assigned vnto the Neapolitanes (by vertue of a decree, now extant) an yerely rent or pension of twentie thousand deniers to be paid out of his owne treasure, in regard of the chalk which came from the hill aforesaid, being within their territorie and siegnorie. He rendereth also a reason inducing him thus to do, Because the inhabitants of Capua, alleadged, that they [unspec I] could not make good Alica or Frumenty without that mineral of chalke. In the same hil there is also found a Brimstone mine, and out of the veines thereof, fountaines springing, called O∣raxi, the water whereof is singular good to cleer the eies, to cure and heale green wounds, and to fasten the teeth that are loose in ones head.

As touching a bastard kind of Frumenty, it is made verily for the most part of a Speltor Zea in Affrick, which there doth degenerat and grow out of kind. The ears that it carieth, are broa∣der and blacker than the other, and the straw is but short. They vse to cleanse and huske it by stamping or braying it together with sand, and for all that deuise, much ado they haue to fetch off the huls and huskes wherein the graine lieth enclosed: now when it is thus cleansed and na∣ked, it is not past halfe as much in measure as it was before. Which done, there is a fourth part [unspec K] of plastre strewed & mingled among: and when al is together, they sift it down through a meal sieue. That which remaineth behind and passeth not through, is the grossest part thereof, and is called in Latine Exceptitia. That which was thus searced, is driuen againe through a narrower and finer sieue, and those groats that tarie in the ranger, the call Secundaria. In like manner doe they a third time, searcing it through so fine a sieue, that nothing can passe but the very small sand and pouder: and this last kind of Frumenty gurts they name Cribraria. Another way there is besides in all places practised, to sophisticat, and counterfeit the right Frumenty groats in∣deed: They chuse out of our common Wheat, the fairest, fullest, and whitest grains, which bee∣ing half sodden in an earthen pot, they lay out afterwards in the Sun, till they be as drie as they were at first: which don, they lightly sprinckle some water ouer, & then bruise them in a quearn [unspec L] mill. Fairer Frumentie groats be made of Zea than of Wheat, and called it is Granum or Gra∣natum, although in Alica that be counted a fault. To conclude, they that wil not vse chalk, do blanch and make their Frumentie white by seething milke with it, and mingling all together.

Notes

• * 1.1

  quinque se∣deos.
• * 1.2

  Ego hanc Ar∣toptamex pro∣ximo vten∣dam puto.