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Barley-water for the Sick Chamber

A simple barley water made by mixing barley with cold water, adding boiling water, simmering, and straining.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Barley-water for the Sick Chamber

Ingredients

Directions

Make the paste

  1. Mix the barley and cold water into a smooth paste.

  2. Gradually add the boiling water while stirring constantly.

Boil and strain

  1. Boil gently for 10 minutes.

  2. Strain the mixture when it cools.

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

Robinson's patent barley
Barley starch thickens the water slightly and gives its mild, cereal flavor.

The step that matters

Gradually add the boiling water while stirring constantly. Barley flour starch clumps when hot liquid hits it unevenly. Adding the water slowly while stirring keeps the starch dispersed, so the drink stays smooth instead of lumpy.

“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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