Bochet from La Menagier de Paris

The Honorable Lady Fiona the Volatile

Le Managier de Paris

Beverages for the Sick:  Bochet

Original French text from Le Menagier de Paris, c. 1393

"BOCHET.  Pour faire six sextiers de bochet, prenez six pintes de miel bien doulx,
et le mettez en une chaudière sur le feu et le faites boulir, et remuez si longuement que il
laisse à soy croistre, et que vous véez qu'il gette bouillon aussi comme petites orines*
qui se creveront, et au crever getteront un petit de fumée aussi come noire:  et lors faites-le
mouvoir, et lors mettez sept sextiers d'eaue et les faites tant boulir qu'ils revienguent à six
sextiers, et tousjours mouvoir. Et lors le mettez en un cuvier pour refroidier jusques à tant
qu'il soit ainsi comme tiède; et lors le coulez en un sas, et après** le mettez en un tonnel et
y mettez une choppine de leveçon*** de cervoise, car c'est ce qui le fait piquant,
(et qui y mettroit levain de pain, autant vauldroit pour saveur, mais la couleur en seroit
plus fade,) et couvrez bien et chaudement pour parer.  Et se vous le voulez faire très bon,
si y mettez une once de gingembre, de poivre long, graine de paradis et cloux de giroffle
autant de l'un que de l'autre, excepté des cloux de giroffle dont il y aura le moins, et les
mettez en un sachet de toile et gettez dedans. Et quant il y aura esté deux ou trois jours
et le bochet sentira assez les espices et il piquera assez, si ostez le sachet et l'espraignez
et le mettez en l'autre baril que vous ferez. Et ainsi vous servira bien celle pouldre jusques
à trois ou quatre fois." *Ordinairement origine (interdum urina): mais ici, sans doute globules.  
**A et B répètent lors. ***Sans doute levure de bière.

Because I do not speak or read French, I worked off of this translation.

"BEVERAGES FOR THE SICK - BOCHET To make six sesters of bochet take six pints of
very soft honey and set it in a cauldron on the fire, and boil it and stir it for as long as it goes
on rising and as long as you see it throwing up liquid in little bubbles which burst and in
bursting give off a little blackish steam; and then move it, and put in seven sesters of water
and boil them  until it is reduced to six sesters, always stirring. And then put it in a tub to cool
until it be just warm, and then run it through a sieve, and afterwards put it in a cask and add
half a pint of leaven of beer, for it is this which makes it piquant (and if you put in leaven of
bread, it is as good for the taste, but the colour will be duller), and cover it warmly and well
when you prepare it.  And if you would make it very good, add thereto an ounce of ginger,
long pepper, grain of Paradise and cloves, as much of the one as of the other, save that there
shall be less of the cloves, and put them in a linen bag and cast it therein. And when it hath
been therein for two or three days, and the brochet tastes enough of the spices and is
sufficiently piquant, take out the bag and squeeze it and put it in the other barrel that you are
making.  And thus this powder will serve you well two or three times over."

( Power, 1928, p. 192-3)

 

Notes:

The biggest challenge in this recipe was simply determining what exactly was meant by a
sester.  I found the following:

1. As a liquid measure for honey and wine. Between 24 and 32 ounces.

2. A dry measure for grain. Maybe equal to 12 bushels.

(Martin and Williams 2003, p. 511)

It can also be a variant of Sexter, which is a measure (of grain, land, wine, etc.) of
varying value, or a unit of capacity, a variant on the french setier.

(Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Volume VII, 1908, p. 348)

An earlier recipe in the chapter defines a sester as 8 pints.  This is the measure I chose to
go with for this recipe.

Redaction:

Carmelize 6 pints of honey by boiling until it releases black smoke when the bubbles pop.
Add seven sesters (8 pints each) of water and boil until 0nly 6 sesters of liquid are left.  Allow
to cool, and add ale yeast and spices. Remove the spices after 3 days. Use the same
spices for a second batch.

Ingredients:

6 pints clover honey

56 pints of water (7 gallons)

Beer yeast (I used Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast)

1 ounce ginger (I used fresh ginger, finely chopped)

1 ounce long pepper

1 ounce grains of paradise

½ ounce cloves

Method:
I started by boiling the honey on the stove.  I boiled it for a long time, stirring constantly
to keep it from sticking to the pot.  I took pictures of the process every 15 minutes.

The color slowly darkened.  I continued to boil until smoke was released when the bubbles
popped.  By this time, the honey was a dark color, and had a thick foam on top.

Once the honey was sufficiently caramelized, I added the water and boiled it until about 6
gallons were left.

I allowed the must to cool, and then put it into carboys.  Because I did not have a 6 gallon
carboy, this was fermented in two 3 gallon carboys.

I sewed a small linen pouch to put the spices in, and placed them in one of the carboys.  
After 3 days, I moved it to the other carboy, as suggested in the recipe.

Both carboys were pitched with Nottingham Ale yeast, which was activated in cold water.

When the fermentation stopped, both carboys were racked into a five gallon carboy to age
and clarify.

References:

Greco, G.L.; Rose, C.M. (2012). The Good Wife's Guide (Le Ménagier de Paris): A Medieval
Household Book. Cornell University Press

Pichon, Jerome (18460 Le ménagier de Paris (v. 1 & 2)

Power, Eileen, (1928) The Goodman of Paris: A treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy
by a Citizen of Paris c 1393

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Volume VII (1908) The Century Company,
New York, NY,

G.H. Martin, Ann Williams, (2003)  Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration, Penguin
Classics, London