a form of mace??

[mell]

i know it seems an odd question... but could anyone assist in a telling me, say if someone was to make a form of mace in the 18th century, what would they have used??? i am prepared for lots of 'i don't understand the question'
i want some sort of ingredients used in something that when tossed in the face of an attacker burns the eyes... and no before you worry to much it is not for my use,hehehehehe

[Polwarth]

Most Scots would understand a Mace to be a weapon used in the middle ages by knights!

Your request about what might be used to throw into the eyes/face of someone in the 1700s depends on the type of household the person lived in. Very poor people would not be able to afford spices, such as pepper etc.... And the rich would certainly not 'waste' the very expensive, imported spices like pepper, ginger, cinnamon etc.. We are talking Scots people, after all...

[mell]

thanks for your reply polwarth... say if someone were in a kitchen and just happened to be threatened.... could you give me some sort of recipe that the person could have had before them??? something that would burn the eyes???

[Polwarth]

Anything with pepper in it, I suppose

Cock a leekie soup is an old Scottish dish.... it would have been around in the 1700s...

[mell]

do you have a recipe for that!!!!!!

[Polwarth]

Here's my family recipe - most families have their own, with a few variations on the chicken and leek theme!

COCK A LEEKIE SOUP

Cock a leekie soup is a thin broth. Some people add potatoes as well as rice. And, I believe that the original recipe also has prunes in the soup mix, presumably to add a little sweetness.

Medium sized chicken
5 pints of water
3 bay leaves
Large sprig of thyme
10 black peppercorns - whole, don't crush
4 large leeks, cut into slices about an inch long
4 large carrots - three cut into sticks, not too thin - one coarsely grated
1 oz rice
Salt and pepper to season

Put chicken into water and bring to boil. Add carrots and leeks, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and season to taste and simmer for 1.5 hours or until chicken is well cooked.

Remove chicken and eat with veg as a main course. (Or, to make a thicker soup, just take meat off the bone and put back into soup.) Sprinkle in the washed rice and continue simmering until rice is cooked.

Serve with chunks of wholemeal bread.

[mell]

THANK-YOU.....