Gum water

[Annette Bethke]

Does anyone have a period source for making gum water; how much arabic to how much water?

Thanks.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Gum water

"Take a half ounce to an ounce of gum arabic to two pints of cold water and then dissolve it by maceration"

Source: A Treatise on Food and Diet by Jonathan Pereira, Oxford University (1843)

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Gum water

Ha, thanks so much. Can you tell me the context this recipe was used for?

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Gum water

My understanding was that this recipe for gum water was used as a demulcent to reduce inflammation of the muceous membrances, or as a cough suppressant to alleviate sore throat.

Gum arabic has some nutritive qualities, but is known as difficult to digest...ergo the only known use is as above.

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Gum water

Thanks again.

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Gum water

Charleston Courier June 61’

"A bottle of essence of Jamaica ginger will be found a pleasant and healthful companion to the soldier's canteen, a corrective of bad water, a preventive of diseases arising from change of water, and in all respects better than alcoholic stimulants. Think of this, mothers, wives and sisters, in filling up the outfit and farewell tokens for the departing volunteer"

[Pvt Peck]

Re: Gum water

Hmm essence of Ginger, sounds tastier than GumWater! A reference a bit later than our period but 19th century still...

http://www.foodreference.com/html/essence-ginger.html

Edward Parrott

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Gum water

Ginger extract can contain 70%-80% alcohol. Don't give yourself "jake leg" with that ginger extract!

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Gum water

Hmm essence of Ginger, sounds tastier than GumWater! A reference a bit later than our period but 19th century still...

http://www.foodreference.com/html/essence-ginger.html

Edward Parrott

Here is a 1864 recipe for Essence of Ginger from The Complete Confectioner by Eleanor Parkinson.

"Essence of Ginger. The Best Jamaica or China Ginger two ounces, proof one pint. Powder the ginger, mix with the spirit, stop close, and let it steep for twelve or fourteen days."

If you look in Google books there are any number of recipes for essence of ginger and the many uses for them. Some are like the above that just contain alcohol while others have sugar in them and are more of a ginger syrup with alcohol.

Essence of ginger was used a great deal as a remedy for nausea, flavoring food and beer and other beverages.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Gum water

Ha, thanks so much. Can you tell me the context this recipe was used for?

The recipe that Craig gave you was pretty much standard but could differ according to use. If it was to be used for invalid cookery or a throat preparation, sometimes sugar or honey was added.

Gum water had a number of other uses. A bottle was usually kept in the laundry and some was added to the starch water because it helped the iron glide more smoothly over the clothes. In fact, the Argo Laundry Gloss Starch still adds some type of gum to the powdered starch today. Artists used gum water in water color painting because it helped set the colors and bottles for gum water was usually included in equipped artists' boxes. Mixed with silver nitrate, gum water made permnament ink for marking linen. Gum water made an excellent glue with mixed with egg white.

When reading all the receipts that used gum water, one frequently sees references to thin or thick gum water so the amount of gum arabic to water would vary according to what you need the gum water for.

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Gum water

Thank you Virginia. I have found several mentions of different uses for it and am now trying to figure out which would most likely work for what I'm working on. I found one, after Craig's post, that mentions using gum water with starch as "size" assuming they mean sizing. So I'm researching that a little more.

Thanks everyone for your posts; put me on the right track.