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Don't Cook That

Nectar

The whites of four eggs stirred into cooled syrup, bottled, and kept as a shelf drink.

From
Twentieth Century Cook Book
Published
1901
Yikes Scale
Yikes

Exactly as printed, 1901

Two ounces of tartaric acid, two pounds of sugar, three pints of hot water; boil seven minutes. When nearly cold, add the whites of four eggs, one ounce essence wintergreen. Bottle and keep cool. One tablespoonful of this with a glass of water, and one-quarter of a teaspoonful of soda.


Twentieth Century Cook Book, 1901. Public domain; transcription unaltered.

So what happens if I make it?

The whites go in after the syrup has cooled, so nothing ever brings them to temperature. The mixture is then bottled and stored, which extends the exposure rather than ending it.

The wintergreen is the bigger problem. Essence of wintergreen is methyl salicylate, which is toxic by mouth in small amounts — an ounce of concentrated oil is a potentially lethal quantity for a child.

Notes from the 21st century

  • Methyl salicylate is deceptively strong. A teaspoon of the concentrated oil is roughly equivalent to a large handful of aspirin. It is meant for external use.
  • The acid is not enough. Two ounces of tartaric acid in three pints makes a sharp syrup, but the raw egg white is still raw egg white.
  • A tablespoonful to a glass. The serving instruction, which means the wintergreen is diluted at the point of drinking. The bottle on the shelf is not.

Also in this book

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