Gut Feeling: Digestive Confections according to Medieval Arabic Cookery Literature

In medieval times, like today, digestive drinks were used to relieve various symptoms. The presence of digestive recipes in Arabic cookery manuals highlights their cardinal role in the meal and in soothing other conditions, not only related to digestion. A careful look at these recipes reveals their abundance in number and variety, made from various ingredients. Also notable is the consistency of these digestives; it is clear from the recipes that this was a wide category that encompassed not only liquid remedies, but also hard candy drops, syrups and conserves. This paper explores the differences and similarities in recipes’ composition and hence purpose, taking quince as a case study. Lastly, by examining historical records that comment on the actual use of digestives, this paper establishes links between the prescriptive and practical realms.