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Peptonized Gruel

A gruel made with milk, pancreatic liquor, bicarbonate of soda, sweetener, and flavoring.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Peptonized Gruel

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Prepare gruel from your preferred farinaceous food and add the cold milk.

  2. Stir in the pancreatic liquor and bicarbonate of soda immediately.

Rest and serve

  1. Cover and keep at the same temperature for about 30 minutes.

  2. Boil for a few minutes, then sweeten and flavor to taste before serving.

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

Fresh milk
Provides liquid and creamy body to the gruel.
Liquor pancreaticus
Enzyme-containing liquid that breaks down starches and proteins during the resting period.
Bicarbonate of soda
Raises the alkalinity of the mixture, which can affect how the enzymes act.

The step that matters

Stir in the pancreatic liquor and bicarbonate of soda immediately. Enzymes begin working as soon as they meet the mixture, and their activity depends on temperature and alkalinity. Adding them promptly, then holding the temperature steady, keeps the enzymatic action consistent through the resting period.

“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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