Oat Caudle with Wine and Spices
A hot, nourishing drink halfway between thin porridge and mulled wine: an oatmeal decoction thickened with egg yolk, enriched with wine, and perfumed with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Comfort for weakened bodies.
A hot, nourishing drink halfway between thin porridge and mulled wine: an oatmeal decoction thickened with egg yolk, enriched with wine, and perfumed with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Comfort for weakened bodies.
You find me still abed, Sir — this poor twisted body often makes me prisoner of my chamber. But then they bring me this caudle, piping hot: a thin oatmeal gruel, bound with an egg yolk, laced with a finger of wine and all the hot spices of the Indies. Sip it slowly, and you will feel warmth return to your limbs. It is, I believe, the only remedy I prefer to rhyme: it warms the blood when winter and illness conspire against me.
- •Fine oatmeal — two handfuls (nourishing base)
- •Water — three pints (decoction)
- •White wine or sherry — a glass (fortifier)
- •Egg yolk — one or two (thickener)
- •Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetener)
- •Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg — a pinch of each (warm spices)
Oat Caudle with Wine and Spices
A hot, nourishing drink halfway between thin porridge and mulled wine: an oatmeal decoction thickened with egg yolk, enriched with wine, and perfumed with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Comfort for weakened bodies.
Why this dish? Of frail constitution — he suffered all his life from a bone tuberculosis that left him bent and fragile — Pope often had to keep to his chamber. Caudle, a hot, thickened, spiced beverage, was THE comfort drink served to the sick and convalescent in England, a domestic remedy he must have known well.
You find me still abed, Sir — this poor twisted body often makes me prisoner of my chamber. But then they bring me this caudle, piping hot: a thin oatmeal gruel, bound with an egg yolk, laced with a finger of wine and all the hot spices of the Indies. Sip it slowly, and you will feel warmth return to your limbs. It is, I believe, the only remedy I prefer to rhyme: it warms the blood when winter and illness conspire against me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fine oatmeal — two handfuls (nourishing base)
- Water — three pints (decoction)
- White wine or sherry — a glass (fortifier)
- Egg yolk — one or two (thickener)
- Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetener)
- Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg — a pinch of each (warm spices)
Ingredients
- Fine rolled oats — 50 g (base)
- Water — 750 ml (decoction)
- Sweet white wine or sherry — 80 ml (fortifier)
- Egg yolk — 1 (thickener)
- Honey — 2 tbsp (sweetener)
- Ground ginger + cinnamon + nutmeg — 1 pinch each (spices)
Method
- Cook the oats in water over low heat for 20 minutes, then strain through a sieve to keep only a clear, slightly thick decoction.
- Add the honey and spices, return to low heat.
- Off the heat, whisk the egg yolk with a little warm liquid, then stir it into the pot without boiling.
- Add the wine at the end, stir.
- Serve piping hot in a cup or bowl, to be drunk in small sips.
How it was made : Caudle (from Old French 'chaudel', hot) is attested in England since the Middle Ages and remained very present in Georgian domestic cookbooks. It was served to the sick, to women in childbirth, and to chilled guests. The non-alcoholic version was called water-gruel; with wine and eggs, it became frankly restorative.
The contemporary twist : 18th-century 'golden milk' version: add a pinch of turmeric and serve in a stoneware cup — a comforting drinkable porridge for winter evenings.
Sources : Eliza Smith, *The Compleat Housewife* (1727) · Gervase Markham, *The English Huswife* (1615)
Alexander Pope · Charactorium