A 19th-century recipe for an "aphrodisiac sorbet" has been uncovered by archivists in Germany.
The recipe, written on yellowy parchment in the Saxon state archives in Dresden, is believed to have been drawn up by the Raugrave of Wackerbarth, who is thought to have invented mulled wine, reports the Daily Telegraph.
"There is much to suggest that it was an iced aphrodisiac," Gisela Petrasch told Bild newspaper. "Wackerbarth recorded the strange recipe on 9 April 1844. It is not known whether he came up with it himself by experimentation or learnt it from someone else."
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The formula for the "potency sorbet" includes egg whites, lemon juice, sugar, "delicious lozenges from the pharmacy" and a few grains of ambergris, which website Jezebel helpfully defines as "an extremely valuable substance occasionally coughed up by whales, thought to be composed of their intestinal secretions".
August Josef Ludwig von Wackerbarth was a renowned historian, art collector and alleged part-time alchemist. His recipe for Gluhwein is considered the oldest surviving example of mulled wine.
Aphrodisiac Sorbet
Ingredients:
The whites of two eggs
The juice of two lemons
Two pounds of sugar
Four ounces of "delicious lozenges from the pharmacy"
A few grains of ambergris (or the glandular secretions of a muskrat)
Method
Mix this together in half measure with water, and cook for some time over a slow fire
