The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 02Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 02
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Their drinke called Cosmos, which is mares milke, is prepared after this
manner. They fasten a long line vnto 2. posts standing firmely in the
ground, and vnto the same line they tie the young foles of those mares,
which they mean to milke. Then come the dams to stand by their foles gently
suffering themselues to be milked. And if any of them be too vnruly, then
one takes her fole, and puts it vnder her, letting it suck a while, and
presently carying it away againe, there comes another man to milke the said
mare. And hauing gotten a good quantity of this milke together (being as
sweet as cowes milke) while it is newe they powre it into a great bladder
or bag, and they beat the said bag with a piece of wood made for the
purpose, hauing a club at the lower ende like a mans head, which is hollow
within: and so soone as they beat vpon it, it begins to boile like newe
wine, and to be sower and sharp of taste, and they beate it in that manner
till butter come thereof. Then taste they thereof, and being indifferently
sharpe they drinke it: for it biteth a mans tongue like the wine of raspes,
when it is drunk. After a man hath taken a draught thereof, it leaueth
behind it a taste like the taste of almon milke, and goeth downe very
pleasantly, intoxicating weake braines: also it causeth vrine to be auoided
in great measure. Likewise Caracosmos, that is to say black Cosmos, for
great lords to drink, they make on this maner. First they beat the said
milke so long till the thickest part thereof descend right downe to the
bottome like the lees of white wine, and that which is thin and pure
remaineth aboue, being like vnto whay or white must The said lees or dregs
being very white, are giuen to seruants, and will cause them to sleepe
exceedingly. That which is thinne and cleare their masters drinke: and in
very deed it is marueilous sweete and holesome liquor. Duke Baatu hath
thirty cottages or granges within a daies iourney of his abiding place:
euery one of which serueth him dayly with the Caracosmos of an hundreth
mares milk, and so all of them together euery day with the milke of 3000.
mares, besides white milke which other of his subiects bring. For euen as
the husbandmen of Syria bestow the third part of their fruicts and carie it
vnto the courts of their lords, euen so doe they their mares milke euery
third day. Out of their cowes milke they first churne butter, boyling the
which butter vnto a perfect decoction, they put it into rams skinnes, which
they reserue for the same purpose. Neither doe they salte their butter: and
yet by reason of the long seething, it putrifieth not: and they keepe it in
store for winter. The churnmilke which remaineth of the butter, they let
alone till it be as sowre as possibly it may be, then they boile it and in
boiling, it is turned all into curdes, which curds they drie in the sun,
making them as hard as the drosse of iron: and this kind of food also they
store vp in sachels against winter.
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