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.

How Meats differ in taste.

4. Being now come to the fourth difference of meats, which consisteth in Taste, it is necessary to shew how ma∣ny kinds of tasts be found in nourishments; whereof some be abominable to certain persons, though good and plea∣sant in nature; Others contrarily desired and liked, though naturally not appointed for meat; which if you call a sym∣pathetical and antipathetical taste, or an in borne tasting or distasting, it will not be amiss: for though the words seem strange and hard at the first, yet time and wearing will make them easy and common. What is more unpleasant to most mens natures, then the taste of humane flesh? yet not onely some women with child have longed for it, but also the whole nation of Canibals account it the sweet∣est meat of all others. It is also recorded that Neroes, great gourdman, thought no meat pleasant but raw flesh▪ Fermi∣us

Saleucius loved the Sea horses so exceedingly, that he dayly dived for them amongst the Crocodiles of Ni∣lus, ventring his life to save his longing. Plato thought that Olives had the best taste. Mecaenas coveted the fish of Asses foals, whereby the whole race of Asses had been extinguished, but that he died in a good hour. The Ger∣mans once (and now the Tartars) reckon horseflesh for the sweetest and best meats, even as our Welshmen esteem of Cheese, Lancashire men of egg pies, and Devonshire men of a brown whitepot. What need I write of Achilles, who in his nonage living with Chiron, desired most to feed up∣on Lions livers? or of the Vandales, who long after Foxes; or the Zygantes in Africa, that covet Monkies and Apes, no less then the Carmanians love Tortesses, the West Africans Lisards, the Egyptians Grasshoppers, the Candneans Serpents, the Corsicans and Maltanists young Whelps, the Romans and Phrygians timber-worms, the Allmans Mites and Magots of Cheese, and such filthy meats. Yea (if Herodotus an Sabellicus write a truth) the Bu∣danes desire to feed on Lice, which a Muscovite abhors to kill; least unnaturally or unwittingly he might slay his own flesh and blood. It were strange to believe (yet Fernelius writes it for a truth) how a noble man of France found a greater sweetnes in quick-lime, then in any meat beside, re∣freshing his stomack and hurting no inward part with the continual use thereof. Others feed greedily upon rags of woollen cloth and wall-morter: and Anatus Lusitanus re∣membreth a certain young maid of twelve years of age, who did eate usually stones, earth▪ sand, chalke, wooll, cot∣ten and flox; esteeming their taste and substance better then of the finest and tendrest Partridge. Marcellus Do∣natus saw a girle so longing after Lisards and Neauts, that she would hunt after the one in gardens, and after the o∣ther in houses with a bough in her hand, as a Cat would

hunt a mouse, and eat them without hurt▪ Albertus Mag∣nus (as Caelius reporteth) saw another wench in Collen but three years old, hunting as diligently after all sorts of spi∣ders, with which meat she was not only much delighted, but also exceedingly nourished. Yea Doctor Oethaeus telleth a story of a certain Farmer in the County of Hirs∣berg, that feedeth chiefly upon potsheards finely beaten, batling no less with them then Marriners do with eating bisket. And Joachimus Camerarius (my dear and learned friend) reporteth that a certain girl of Norimberg did eat up her own hair, and as much as elsewhere she could get; neither conld she be perswaded by parents or friends, to think it an unpleasant or an unwholsom meat. Contrariwise Petrus Aponensis loathed milk: The In∣habitants of the new fishing Land abhor Oyle; many men cannot abide the taste of Cheese, others of flesh, others of fish, others of all sorts of fruit, and that Barti∣mew Marnta his father was almost dead of hares flesh in a gallimawfery, it is not unknown to Physicians. Nay some are naturally (or by imagination) so perverted, that they cannot abide the sight of many meats, and muchless the last. What Souldier knoweth not that a roasted Pigg will affright Captain Swan more then the sight of twenty Spaniards? What Lawyer hath not heard of Mr. Tanfiels conceit, who is feared as much with a dead Duck, as Philip of Spain was with a living Drake? I will not tell what Physician abhorreth the sight of Lampres, and the taste of hot Venison, though he love cold; nor remember a Gentleman who cannot abide the taste of a rab bet, since he was once (by a train) beguiled with a young cat.

Nay (which was more) all meat was of an abominable taste to Heliogabulus, if it were not far fetcht and very dearly bought; even as some liquorish mouthes cannot

drink without sugar, nor Sinardus hot stomack could break wine without snow; which dainty and foolish conceit, though it picks a quarrel with God and reason (after the nice fineness of Courtly dames, that abhor the best meat which is brought in an earthen dish) and maketh ulcers as it were in sound stomacks; yet that there is a natural liking and disliking of meats, and consequently of the tastes of meats, both the examples of men and women forenamed do justly prove, and even Spaniels and Hounds themselves (I mean of the truer kind) by re∣fusing of Venison and wild-fowl in the cold bloud, can sufficiently demonstrate.

Notes

• Meats of pecu∣liar and extra∣ordinray tastes.
• Sueton. in Ne∣rone.
• Sabel. lib. 10. cap. 10.
• Laert. lib. 6. Naucl. de greg. 3. pontif. Gaugen. lib. 3. histor.
• Vergil 3. Georg
• Gel. lib. 28 cap. 5. A. L. Herodo. lib. 4 Plin. lib. 6. cap. 24. Caelius lib. 28. cap. 2. A. L. Cardan. de. rer. var. Sabel. ex He∣rodot. lib. 6.
• Lib. 6. cap. 3. Patholog.
• Trincavella lib. 7. cap. 5. de cur. morb. ••entur. 3: cu∣rat. 86.
• lib. 4: cap: hist. mir••b.
• Coel. l. 11. c. 13. ant. lect.
• Lib. observ. propriarum.
• In epist ad Ioann. Scl: eng.
• Io. Mat. à Grad. ep. de appetit. Cromer. l 20. Olaus, l▪ 20. c. 7 sept reg. Marant. l 3 de cogn. simp.
• Cranz. de reb. lituan.