The Fourth Part of the Prosperity of Germany

Part Four.

preserves its sweet essence without any corruption. If it is to be used alone, however, a little water or sugar should be mixed in so that its acidity may be tempered somewhat, in this way adding it in place of a sauce to meats or fish, whether roasted or boiled. He who wishes to add green herbs for the sake of altering the flavor, such as parsley, garden nasturtium, water pepper original: "piperitis", and the like, must crush them or cut them to mince them and moisten them with Salis Spiritus tempered with water, so that he may add them to the meats and fish in place of a cold sauce. But if a hot sauce of this kind is to be poured over fish and meat, butter must be used, and indeed in the following manner.

Make pure and clean water somewhat more acidic than strong wine vinegar with Salis Spiritus, add to taste salted butter, or butter free of salt, and also such spice as one likes to add besides pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and its mace, as well as salt if there be need; place it into a small pot made of earthenware and coated with glass i.e., glazed pottery, not iron or copper, which are clearly unsuitable for this operation; place this upon a few coals and heat it gradually so that the butter may melt, which, stirred without intermission with a wooden spoon, associates the melted vinegar of Sal to itself, and becomes a thicker broth, which is poured over the meats or fish previously duly cooked with salt. Moreover, green herbs, such as chervil, parsley,