Oat caudle with spiced wine for the sick
A hot drink-porridge between gruel and mulled wine: strained oatmeal or barley, white wine or mild ale, sugar, egg and spices. The classic medical comfort for the sick in Georgian England.
A hot drink-porridge between gruel and mulled wine: strained oatmeal or barley, white wine or mild ale, sugar, egg and spices. The classic medical comfort for the sick in Georgian England.
Here, drink this while it's hot; it is the prescription I gave to my inoculated patients. You thin a clear oatmeal gruel, strain it through a cloth, then mix in a finger of wine, sugar and a beaten egg yolk, stirring constantly over the embers so it does not curdle. A grating of nutmeg on top, and there you have something to sustain a weakened body without heating it. I have carried more than one, believe me, to the bedside of Newgate prisoners as well as to that of children of quality.
- •Fine oatmeal — two spoonfuls (nourishing base)
- •White wine or mild ale — half a glass (comfort and preservation)
- •Egg yolk — one (binder)
- •Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetness)
- •Nutmeg, mace, cinnamon — a grating (medicinal spice)
Oat caudle with spiced wine for the sick
A hot drink-porridge between gruel and mulled wine: strained oatmeal or barley, white wine or mild ale, sugar, egg and spices. The classic medical comfort for the sick in Georgian England.
Why this dish? As a surgeon inoculator, I imposed on my patients — including the Newgate prisoners during the 'Royal Experiment' — a light and cooling preparatory regimen. Caudle, hot and comforting, was the food of convalescents carried to the bedside of the inoculated.
Here, drink this while it's hot; it is the prescription I gave to my inoculated patients. You thin a clear oatmeal gruel, strain it through a cloth, then mix in a finger of wine, sugar and a beaten egg yolk, stirring constantly over the embers so it does not curdle. A grating of nutmeg on top, and there you have something to sustain a weakened body without heating it. I have carried more than one, believe me, to the bedside of Newgate prisoners as well as to that of children of quality.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fine oatmeal — two spoonfuls (nourishing base)
- White wine or mild ale — half a glass (comfort and preservation)
- Egg yolk — one (binder)
- Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetness)
- Nutmeg, mace, cinnamon — a grating (medicinal spice)
Ingredients
- Fine rolled oats — 3 tbsp (nourishing base)
- Water — 400 ml (cooking the gruel)
- Sweet white wine (or mild blonde ale) — 80 ml (comfort and flavour)
- Egg yolk — 1 (binder)
- Honey or sugar — 1 to 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Grated nutmeg + pinch of cinnamon — to taste (medicinal spice)
Method
- Cook the oats in water for 10 minutes, stirring, until a smooth gruel, then strain through a sieve to keep only the creamy liquid.
- Off high heat, over very low heat, add the wine and honey.
- Mix the egg yolk with a ladleful of warm gruel, then pour it back into the saucepan whisking, without letting it boil (or the egg will curdle).
- Thicken gently for a few minutes until a drinkable cream consistency.
- Pour into a cup, grate nutmeg on top and serve very hot.
How it was made : Caudle is a classic of English domestic care in the 17th-18th centuries: halfway between food and medicine, it was prepared for the sick, women in childbirth and convalescents. The 'cooling' oat or barley base corresponded exactly to the preparatory regimen prescribed before inoculation.
The contemporary twist : Served in a small handled cup like a latte of yesteryear, topped with a veil of freshly grated nutmeg.
Charles Maitland · Charactorium