

Naphtha: known since the 4th century BCE. J R Partington, A History of Greek Fire 8. colloidal suspensions of metallic sodium, lithium, potassium, or quicklime in a petroleum base. possible active ingredients: calcium phosphide (made by heating lime, bones and charcoal releases phosphine on contact with water, which ignites spontaneously). “carcass composition”: liquid petroleum, naphtha, burning pitch, sulphur, resin, bitumen. If the engines of the enemy are to be burnt, they are smeared with it in the evening, and when the sun rises all will be burnt." It must be kept in bronze boxes with tight covers, protected from the rays of the sun until it is wanted. The mass must be stirred at mid-day with care and the body protected, since the composition easily inflames. "Automatic fire is composed of equal parts of native sulpur, rock salt, incense, thunderbolt stone, or pyrites, ground in a black mortar in the mid-day sun, and mixed with equal parts of the resin of the blackksycamore and liquid asphalt of Zakynthos to a greasy paste. Sprinkled with water, it becomes slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), which can spontaneously combust. Limepowder, or roasted limestone becomes calx, caustic quicklime or calcium oxide. Source: Adrienne Mayor, Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs asbestos).Ĭhinese smoke-ball: made of powdered aconite root, wolfbane (species of monkshood), croton beans (purgative which causes blisters and pustules), arsenic, hemp (hallucinogen), blister beetles, sulphur, charcoal and resin.
#Milk alchemistry manuals
Muslim military manuals recommend a paste of talc, eggwhites, gum, and salamander skin (i.e.


Alum (double sulphate of aluminium and potassium) was known ot be a fire retardant.
#Milk alchemistry full
Sort of the intermediate step to full chocolate making.It was discovered that heated vinegar or soured wine could cause marble and limestone walls to disintegrate. In general, they call for you to roast your own beans and then make your own cocoa liqueur. These are recipes either that I have worked out or have collected from an unknown source over the years. I have personally experimented with the following and really love results. Also, a thank you to Martha Simmons who got me the original recipes. If you get the chance to get this book, please do. Just roast up your cocoa beans of choice and then remove the husk by hand or with our cocoa mill. A nice light introduction to cooking with fresh cocoa beans. All of the recipes in this section call for cocoa nibs. Pick your bean of choice (a rich Caranero or maybe a fruity Ocumare), roast it, shell it (for this amount, doing it by hand is not that bad) and grind it in your champion for a smooth liqueur or just a whirly blade grinder for more texture (really nice in the brownies).Īll of the recipes in this first section are from Alice Medrich: Bittersweet Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate. Actually, any recipe you find that calls for unsweetened baker's chocolate, you can just use your own cocoa liqueur. If the thought of making chocolate right off the bat is a bit daunting, I would suggest you get you feet wet with just baking with some fresh cocoa.
