Name: Gum-arabic Water
Ingredients: 1 ounce gum arabic; 1 pint boiling water; sweetener to taste; juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Gum-arabic Water

Ingredients

1 ounce gum arabic
1 pint boiling water
sweetener to taste
juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Directions

Pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1 ounce of gum arabic and stir until dissolved.
Sweeten to taste.
Add the juice of 1 lemon for extra flavor if desired.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Gum arabic: Dissolves to add body and a slightly thick, smooth mouthfeel to the water.
Sweetener: Adds sweetness to balance the flavor.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity and bright flavor.

“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.