The Drink of Great Roots
Corotica Senebelenae (Clovis)
EK Wiki: https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/Corotica_merkka_Senebelenae
(MKA Jennifer Davis, she/her)
This beverage is a recreation of a drink from Kitab al tabikh fi-l-Maghrib wa-l-Andalus fi `asr al-Muwahhidin, li-mu’allif majhul. The title is translated in English as The Book of Cooking in Maghreb and Andalus in the Era of Almohads by an unknown author and is also called An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century (An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century, n.d.). The Drink of Great Roots is a nonalcoholic medicinal drink to be taken upon arising from sleep and contains 31 different ingredients comprising the leaves, stems, and seeds of 30 herbs, spices, and vegetables, with honey as the 31st ingredient. My goal with this project was to recreate as accurate a beverage as possible, growing many of the ingredients and using the technology of the time, with the translated recipe as my initial source and additional research into the measurements and ingredients that would have been accurate for the time. Where the translation was unclear or words were not translated by Perry, I researched based on archaeological evidence, other written modern and historic sources, and ethnographic comparisons. I also validated translations via two native Arabic speakers. Through my research I discovered connections with this drink to the 5th c. BCE Greek humoral system of medicine, which was adopted by 13th century Arab Muslim physicians. I hope you enjoy reading my paper as much as I enjoyed researching and brewing the drink.
Full Documentation can be viewed at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tqLMnA_RCTpyBijCgME70Qlea4MJ-OaX/view?usp=sharing
Excellent work!—Siobhan
This is so fantastic! I love both the idea and the project results/documentation. You continue to make me want to pursue new rabbit holes, darn it! 🙂 Awesome job!
-Rosie
It was great seeing someone tackle such an involved preparation. Keep up the good work!
I enjoyed reading your documentation and your process. It was very thorough and your explanation of the process made it easy to follow. Master Michael Graham, Barber-Surgeon
Very thorough documentation! As one who has also recreated historical beverage recipes, this speaks to me. Nicely done!
This was a great project to judge for. The thoroughness of the ingredients along with the process explanation shows a lot of time spent in both obtaining and creating the beverage. Great work.
Fascinating project, very well researched and documented and carefully executed. Now I want to know more about brewing!