Healths improvement: or, Rules comprizing and discovering the nature, method, and manner of preparing all sorts of food used in this nation. Written by that ever famous Thomas Muffett, Doctor in Physick: corrected and enlarged by Christopher Bennet, Doctor in Physick, and fellow of the Colledg of Physitians in London.

CHAP. VIII.

1. Of the Flesh of tame Beasts.

VEAL.

CAlves Flesh is of a temperate constitution, a∣greeing with all ages, times, and temperatures. Calves are either Sucklings or Wainlings: The first are of easier digestion, making good bloud, and dri∣ving choler from the heart: So likewise is the Wain∣lings, but somewhat harder; either of them agree with hot and dry persons, howsoever it is drest; but to flaggy and moist stomacks, Veal is unwholsom unless it be dry roasted; for roasted meats give drie nourishment, and boil'd meats moist, as Galen writeth. The Italians are so in love with Veal, that they call Veal Vitellam, that is to say, their little life: as though it gave not only nourish∣ment, but also life to their dry bodies: which albeit I confess to be true, by reason neither their Calves flesh, nor their own bodies, be so moist as ours; yet in our Country it falls out otherwise through abundance of moisture; so that howsoever sound bodies do well di∣gest it, yet languishing and weak stomacks find it too sli∣my, and can hardly overcome it: Did we not kill them so soon as commonly we do, namely, before they be ful∣ly a month old, they would give the more sound and wholsome nourishment; for till they be five or six weeks old, their flesh is but a gelly hardened; afterwards it is firm flesh, void of superfluous moisture, and most tempe∣rate of constitution. Likewise in the choice of Veal, the Bull Calf is thought the sweeter and better flesh,

whereas in all other beasts (for the most part) the female is preferred.

BEEF.

Ox-beef, the older it is after his full growth, the worse it is, engendring (as Galen dreamed of all beef) quartane agues, leprosies, scabs, cankers, dropsies, stoppings of the spleen and liver, &c. but whilst it is young, or growing forwards in flesh and fatness, it is of all meats by nature, complexion, and custome, most nourishing unto En∣glish bodies; which may easily appear in the diffecence of their strength, and clean making, which feed chiefly upon it, and betwixt them that are accustomed to finer meats. Chuse we therefore the youngest, fattest, and best grown Ox, having awhile first been exercised in wain or plough to dispel his foggie moisture; and I dare under∣take, that for sound men, and those that labour or use exercise, there is not a better meat under the Sun for an English man; so that it be also corned with salt before it be roasted, or well and sufficiently poudred before it be sod: for so is it cleansed from much impurity, and made also more savory to the stomach: but if it be over salted, poudred, or dried (as commonly it happeneth in Ship pro∣vision and rich Farmers houses, that keep beefe a whole twelve-month till they eat it) it is tough, hard, heavy, and of ill nourishment, requiring rather the stomach of a∣nother Hercules who is said to have fed chiefly of Bulls flesh) then of any ordinary and common ploughman. Wherefore howsoever we may taste of it to bring on appetite, let it be but a touch and go: for being eaten much and often, it will heat and corrupt our blood, dry up our bodies, choke the mesaraical veins, and bring forth many dangerous inward and outward griefs. The Romans when they first ventured to dress an Oxe (fear∣ing belike what event might follow the eating of an un∣known

meat) roasted the Oxe all at once, and stuft his belly with all sorts of sweet hearbs, and good flesh that the season yeelded, making no small pudding in his belly, which the people called Equm Trojanum, the Trojan horse: because it contained no fewer kinds of meats then that did Soldiers; but had they known the wholesomness of the meat, and our manner of dressing, they needed not to have mingled so many antidotes, and to have corrupted rather then corrected so good a nourishment.

Cow Biefe.

Cowbiefe is supposed by the Irish people, and also by the Normans in France to be best of all: neither do they account so much of Oxen; either because they think the unperfit creatures, or rather (as I take it) be∣cause they know not how to use and diet them in the gelding. But were they as skilful in that point, as also in the killing and dressing of Oxen, as was Prometheus; no doubt they would make higher estimation of one Oxe, then of all the fat Cowes in Ceres stall.

Nevertheless I deny not, yea I affirm with Galen that a fat and young Heifer, kept up a while with dry meat, will prove a convenient temperate and good nourish∣ment, especially if it be kil'd after the French fashion, as I saw the Norman butchers kill them in our Camp, whilst I lay there in Camp with that flower of Chivalry the Earl of Essex. When the Cow is strook down with the axe, presently they lay her upon her back, and make a hole about the navel, as big as to receive a swans quill, through which the butcher blowes wind so long, till the whole skin swell round about like a bladder, in such sort that the beast seems of a double bigness; then whilst one holdeth the quill close and bloweth continually, two or three others beat the Cow as hard as they can with cud∣gils round about: which beating never bruseth the flesh

(for wind is ever betwixt it and the skin) but maketh both the hide to prove better Leather, and the flesh to eat better and tenderer then otherwise it would.

Bull Beife.

Bull Beife, unless it be very young, is utterly unwhole∣some and hard of digestion, yea almost invincible. Of how hard and binding a nature Bulls blood is, may appear by the place where they are killed: for it glaseth the ground and maketh it of a stony hardness. To prevent which mischief either Bulls in old time were torne by Li∣ons, or hunted by men, or baited to death by dogs as we use them: to the intent that violent heat and motion might attenuate their blood, resolve their hardness, and make their flesh softer in digestion. Bulls flesh being thus prepared, strong stomachs may receive some good thereby, though to weak, yea to temperate stomachs it will prove hurtful.

Lambs Flesh.

Galen, Halyabbas, and Isaac, condemn Lambs flesh for an over phlegmatick and moist meat: breeding ill nourishment, and through excessive watrishness slipping out of the stomach before it be half concocted, in cold stomacks it turns all to slime, in a hot stomack it corrupts into choler, in aged persons, it turns to froth and flegm, in a young person and temperate, it turns to no whole∣some nourishment; because it is of so flashy and moist a nature: all which I will confess to be true in sucking Lambs who the nearer they are killed to their birth day the worse they are: but when they are once weaned, and have fed half a year upon short and tender grass, I think that of all other flesh it is simply the best, as I will prove by divine and humane reason. For as in the new Testament, the Lords Supper materially consisteth of two such things, as there cannot be any drink or meat de∣vised

more comfortable nor more strenthening to the nature of man, namely Bread and Wine: so likewise the blessed Sacrament of the old Testament, could not con∣veniently be so well expressed as in the eating of that, which was the purest, most temperate, and most nourish∣ing of all meats: and what flesh is that I pray you? Veal? Pig? or Goats flesh? or the flesh of wild beasts? or the flesh of Birds? no, but the flesh of a sound weaned Lamb, of a year old, whose flesh is neither too cold and moist, as is a sucklings; nor too dry, and hot▪ as when it hath strength to know the Ewe: but of a most temperate constitution, fittest to resemble the thing signified, who is of all other our best nourishment. Philochorus is recorded to have made a law that the Athenians should eat no more Lambs flesh: not because they thought it too tender a meat for mens stomacks (as some foolishly have conceived) but because the people found it so wholesome, pleasant, and nourishing, that every man desired it above all meats: in such sort that had not the eating of them been restrained by a severe law, the whole race of Sheep would have decayed amongst them. Upon the like rea∣son Valens the Emperour made a law that no Veal should be eaten; which was counted in old time a princely meat (for alwaies it was one dish at the Kings table in Egypt, though they never had but two) howsoever through God his singular blessing it is an ordinary meat amongst us in mean households. The best way to prepare Lambs flesh is sufficient roasting; for boyling makes it too fleshy and phlegmatick, and by over-rosting the sweetness thereof is soon dried up. Yea all Mutton (contrary to the nature of Pork, Pig▪ and Veal) should rather be too raw then too much roasted; according as the French men find by experience, who slash and cut a giggot of Mut∣ton upon the spit, and with the bloody juice thereof (tem∣pered

with crums of bread and a little salt) recover weak stomacks and persons consumed. Wherefore howsoever some naturally abhor it (as my honest friend Signor Ro∣mano) and strong stomacks prove better with harder meat; yet without all question, a Lamb chosen and drest in manner aforesaid, is for most men a very temperate nourishing and wholesome meat, agreeing with all ages, times, regions and complexions. Arnoldus Freitagi∣us in his natural history, saith that the hinder quarters of a Lamb being drawn with rosemary and garlick first steept in milk, and moderately rosted at the fire, is a meat most acceptable to the taste, and also profitable to moist stomacks, for which it is else commonly thought to be hurtful. Also he assureth, that Lambs flesh being well beaten with a cudgel before it is roasted, eateth much better and is far wholesomer: which I leave to be judg∣ed by the Cooks experience.

Mutton.

Mutton is so generally commended of all Physicians, if it be not too old, that itis forbidden to no persons, be they sick or sound. The best Mutton is not above four years old, or rather not much above three; that which is ta∣ken from a short hilly and dry feeding, is more sweet short and wholesome, then that which is either fed in ranck grounds, or with pease-straw (as we perceive by the taste) great fat and ranck fed sheep, such as Somer∣set shire and Linconshire sendeth up to London, are no∣thing so short nor pleasant in eating, as the Norfolk, Wiltshire, and Welsh Mutton; which being very young are best rosted, the elder sort are not ill being sodden with bugloss, borrage, and persly roots. Now if some shall here object, that gelding and spading be unnatural actions; and that Eunuchs are subject to more diseases then perfect men: inferring thereupon a reason or likeli∣hood,

that the like may be also in all gelded ware (and consequently in Muttons) contrary to that which Galen hath affirmed; I will deny all their positions upon good grounds. For even nature hath deprived some things of that which gelders cut away; and that Eunuchs are freed from many diseases (as Gouts, Baldness, Leprosies) where∣unto other men are subject, experience in all ages truely avoucheth. Last of all, it is generally confessed of all skilful Shepherds, (and namely by Charles Steven and John Liebault) that Ewes and Rams are subject to far more maladies then Muttons; requiring greater cost, care, skill, and providence to maintain them in health.

Rams flesh and Ewes flesh.

As for Rams flesh and Ewes flesh (that being too hot and dry, this too excremental and soon corrupted) I com∣mend neither of them, especially in this Country of ours, where there is (God bethanked) such choice of whole∣some Wethers.

Kid and Goat.

As Lambs flesh is lighter and moister then other Mut∣ton, so is Kid more light and moist then Goats flesh: be∣cause (as Hippocrates reasoneth) it is less bloody, and the blood which it hath is very moist, liquid, and fine. The black and red Kids are better then the white: and the younger they are (so they be above a fortnight old) the more wholesome and nourishing they are esteemed. Their flesh is soon and quickly digested, of excellent nourishment, and restorative after a great sickness: espe∣cially for young persons and hot stomacks, but naught for them which are old & phlegmatick. It is better rosted then sod, and the hinder parts are to be prefered because they are dryer and less excremental. They are tempe∣rately hot and moist, whilst they are under six weeks age: for afterwards they grow to such heat and lasciviousness,

that (before they are wained) they will after they have suckt, cover their own dam; after they are once wained, their flesh may be fit for strong labouring men, which would not so well brook a tender suckling; but for the most part of men it is unwholesome and of bad juice.

The Old He-goat is suitable to an old Ram, save that it is more tough, hard, and unpleasant; his flesh is not to be eaten, till he hath been baited like a Bull to death, and when he is dead you must beat the flesh in the skin, after the French fashion of beating a Cow.

The She-goat being young, is less hurtful; but an old She-goat is worse and of a more sharp and corrupt juice: rather provoking venery and sharpness of seed (as also the Male doth) then nourishing the body.

A gelded Goat was unknown unto ancient Physicians, but questionless it is the best next to sucking Kid; for it is more moist through abundance of fat, and also of more temperate heat because it wanteth stones; in which I certainly believe a more violent heat to be placed, then in any part beside: yea whereas the liver draweth onely from the stomack and guts by the meseraical veines, and the heart only from the lungs and liver, and the brain from all three; the stones have a heat which draweth seed from the whole body, yea from the bones and gristles, as Hip∣pocrates writeth and reason collecteth.

Furthermore the tollerable smell which a gelded goat hath, sheweth that his flesh is far sweeter: but He-goats and She-goats are so ranck, that a Fencer of Thebes feed∣ing much of them, no man could endure his sweat. Also the chief Priest of Rome did never so much as touch them saith Plutarch, because they are subject to the fal∣ling sickness, letcherous in life, and odious in smell.

Pigg, Sowe, Bore, and Hogg.

Piggs flesh by long and a bad custome is so generally

desired and commended, that it is credibly (though falsly) esteemed for a nourishing and excellent good meat: In∣deed it is sweet, luscious, and pleasant to wantons, and earnestly desired of distempered stomacks: but it is the mother of many mischiefs, and was the bane of mine own Mother. A sucking Piggs flesh is the moistest flesh simply of all other; engendring Crudities, Palsies, Agues, Gowts, Apoplexies and the stone: weakning the me∣mory (for it is moist in the third degree) procuring fluxes of the belly, and engendring most viscous, flashy and cor∣rupt humours. Their flesh is hardly digested of a weak stomack, and their leather-coat not easily of a strong. The younger they are, the worse they are: yet some ven∣ture upon them (yea covet them) ere they be eight days old; yea the Romans delicacy was such, that they thought them dainty meat being taken blood and all out of the Sowes belly ere she was ready to farrow, eating them after a little bruising in the blood, no less greedily then some do the pudding of a bruised Deer. We do well in roasting our Piggs at a blazing fire, sprinkling them with salt on the outside: but if we stuft their bellies with a good deal of salt as well as sage, and did eat them with new sage, and vinegar and salt, they would be less offen∣sive. The Danes I remember (when I was at Elsenore) draw them with garlick as the French men do with lard: which is no ill correcter of their sliminess and viscous humour. The Bore-Pig is not preferred before the Sow-Pig: because it is strong and ranck.

Bores flesh (I mean of the tame Bore) is never good but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it is brawn'd; which though Pliny avoucheth to be first invented by Servillus Rullus, yet by Plautus it seemeth to be a more ancient meat.

The best way of brawning a Bore is this of all other, which I learned first of Sir Thomas George, and saw

practised afterwards to good purpose. Shut up a young Bore (of a year and a half old) in a little room about har∣vest time, feeding him with nothing but sweet whey, and giving him every morning clean straw to lye upon, but lay it not thick. So before Christmas he will be suffici∣ently brawned with continual lying, and prove exceed∣ing fat, wholesome and sweet; as for the common way of brawning Bores, by stying them up in so close a room that they cannot turn themselves round about, and whereby they are forced alwaies to lye on their bellies, it is not worthy the imitation: for they feed in pain, lye in paine, and sleep in pain: neither shall you ever find their flesh so red, their fat so white, nor their liver so sound, as being brawned otherwise accordingly, as is before rehersed. After he is brawned for your turn, thrust a knife into one of his flanks, and let him run with it till he dye: others gently bait him with muzled Doggs. The Roman Cooks thrust a hot Iron into his side, and then run him to death; thinking thereby that his flesh waxed tenderer and his brawn firmer.

Sows Flesh is reckoned of Isaac, to engender good blood, to nourish plentifully, yea to be restorative if it be young. But an old Sow breedeth ill juice, is hardly concocted, and begetteth most viscous humors. The Heliopolitanes abstained from Sows flesh of all others: First, because (contrary to the nature and course of all o∣ther beasts) she admits the Bore not in the full, but in the wane of the Moon. Secondly they demand, How can her flesh be wholsom, whose milk being drunk, filleth our bodies full of leprosie▪ scurf, tetters and scabs? Yea a sow is one of the most filthy creatures in the world; her belly is never void of scurf, her throat of kernely imposthumes, her brain so heavy and moist, that she can∣not look up to heaven; or rather she dare not, being the

rooter up, and so bad an inhabitant of the earth. Ne∣vertheless I am of Isaacs mind, that a young Sow kept long from the Bore, sweetly dieted with roots, corn, and whey, and kept from filthy feeding and wallowing, may be made good and tolerable meat for strong stomacks, after it hath been powdered and well rosted.

Pork and Bacon.

Now concerning Pork and Hogs flesh, made of a spaded Sow, or a Hogg gelded, verily let us say thereof (as Theon said of all sorts of swine) if it be not good for meat, wherefore is it good? his cry is most odious and harsh, his smel loathsom, his very shape detested: at home he is ravening, in the field rooting, and every where filthy, foul, unhappy, and unprofitable. All which hurts he recompenceth in this only one, that of all other beasts (if Galen be not deceived) he most nourisheth: especi∣ally if he feed abroad upon sweet grass, good mast and roots; for that which is penn'd up and fed at home with taps drappings, kitchin offal, soure grains, and all manner of draffe, cannot be wholsom. In Plinies time they were so far from fatting them with such refuse, that (con∣sidering they were to be eaten of themselves) men usu∣ally fatted their hogs with milk and figgs. But sith that course is more chargeable then necessary for Englishmen; either let their hoggs feed themselves fat abroad with grass and mast, or at home with only sweet whey, and a little grounded corn, then which they cannot have a more sweet meat.

Furthermore, to use Galens encomium or phrase of a hogg (whereby you may swear he was no Jew, nor Lo∣pus no good Physician) howsoever nothing less resem∣bleth a man, then a Hogg in his outwards, yet inwardly no creature resembleth him more: For the colour and substance of his flesh, the shape, figure, connexion, su∣spension,

proportion, and situation of his entrails, differ little or nothing from mans body: and besides that (when he is of a just grouth) his temper is also most like to ours. Thus much out of Galen for the praise of Pork; whom albeit Rea••dus Columbus, and Vesalius do oppugne in their Anatomies concerning the likelihood of a mans and a hoggs entrails; yet none hitherto denyed Pork to be a a temperate meat, being corned and rosted, or sodden after it hath been well powdered. Nevertheless, (to yield mine own opinion) I esteem it (by Galens leave) a very queasie meat, howsoever it be prepared, and to have in it self alwaies, flatuosum chacochynicum & febri∣le quid. For if you eat it fresh, it is as dangerous as fresh Sprats to an aguish stomack: if you eat it corned, yet is it of gross juice, and speedy corruption, unless by mu∣stard and sorrel sawce it be corrected: If it be sodden and powdered▪ green-sawce made of sorrel, is to be eaten with it, both to cool the fiery nature of the salt, and also to qualifie the malignity of the flesh it self: If it be salted and made into Bacon, how hard is it to be digested in most mens stomacks, either boiled or fryed? Yea the Caretanes of Spain (whom Strabo▪ writeth to be the best makers of Sawsages and salt meats in the whole world) and the Normans in France (whose Bacon flitches and jambons Varro extolleth) could never so dry Bacon, or make Pork into such wholsom Sawsages, seasoned with Pepper, Salt, and Sage, but that it needed a draught of Wine more then ordinary to macerate and digest it in the stomack. It is recorded that Leo the tenth, Pope of Rome, loved Pork so exceedinglv, that he bestowed a∣bove two thousand crowns a year in Sawsages, mingling the brawnes of Peacocks, with Porks flesh, Pepper, and other Spices, which were afterwards called Leonis inci∣sia, Leo his Sawsages. But when Hadrian the sixth his

successor perused the accounts, and found above ten thou∣sand Ducats spent by his predecessor in that one meat, he detested him (saith Jovius) as much dead, as he ho∣noured him whilst he was alive.

Finally, no Brawn, Pork or Bacon, should be eaten without Wine, according to that old Verse made in Sa∣lern School (which some no less account of then the Heathen did of Apollo his Oracles)

Est caro porcina sine vin•• pejor ovina; Si tribuis vina, tune est cibus & medicina.

As Mutton tough, Pork without Wine Is not esteem'd so good: But if that Wine be drunk thereon, 'Tis Physick both and Food.

Or if Wine be scarce, drink after such meats, a good draught of your strongest beer well spic'd with Ginger, and then labour it out (as Ploughmen do) for ease after gross meats is very dangerous; but strong labour over∣cometh all things.

As for the entrails of Hoggs, and especially the Harse∣net (which Publius Syrus preferred before all meats) I find them to be stopping, and of bad nourishment; yet the Livers of Piggs are counted nourishing, but their Lungs are watrish and very phlegmatick.

Notes

• 3 de fac. alim. c. 2.
• Valthas. Pisa∣nellus l. de esc. & potul.
• Gal. 3▪ de alim. sac. c 7.
• Lib. de cib. bov. & mal▪ succi. & 3 de alim. fac▪ cap. 1.
• Athen. lib. 7. cap. 1.
• Isaac. 4 de 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dieta. c. 7.
• Macrob 3. sat cap. 13.
• 3. Dealim. fac. est 2: & tem∣peram.
• Athen. lib. 1. cap. 4.
• Cael. lib. 28. cap. 2. A L.
• Diod. lib. 1. cap. 6.
• Tract. de Ver. vece.
• Why Mutton makes one live longer then ••••y meat.
• lib. 3. de alim. fac. cap. 1.
• lib. 1. de la. maison ru∣shque.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 de. vict. rat.
• Haly abb. s. theor.
• Lib. de genit.
• Athen. lib. ••. cap. 24.
• i•• Quest Rom
• Sheep and Piggs, the younger the bet∣ter.
• Gal 3▪ de alim. ••ac.
• Plut. lib. de es. carn.
• Lib. 8. ••. 51. in P••n▪ & Bucc••.
• De diaet. par∣tic.
• Plut. l. de Isid.
• Plut 5 f▪ mp.
• Plut. 5. symp.
• 3. de alim. fac. c. 13.
• Plin. l▪ 8. c. 51.
• L. 3. de orb ••it.
• L. 2. de re rust.
• P. Iov. in vita▪ Leon. x.
• Schol. sal c. 5.
• Plin. l. 28 c. 9.