Decoction of Iceland Moss
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the Iceland moss in cold water to remove impurities.
Heat the moss with water until nearly boiling, then discard the liquid.
Make the decoction
Boil the moss in 1 pint of water for 10 minutes in a covered vessel.
Strain the mixture while hot, applying gentle pressure.
Flavor and serve
Flavor the liquid with sugar, lemon peel, white wine, or use milk instead of water for a nourishing drink.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Iceland moss
- Releases mucilage, a gummy plant material that thickens the liquid and gives it a smooth body.
The step that matters
Strain the mixture while hot, applying gentle pressure. Gentle pressure extracts the thickening material from the moss while keeping fine plant particles out of the liquid. Pressing too hard pushes solids through and leaves the drink cloudy and gritty.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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