Image: George Hartman · Public domain
The True Preserver and Restorer of Health
- Year
- 1682
- Era
- 17th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English pre-1800
The True Preserver and Restorer of Health, compiled by George Hartman and first issued in 1682, is a late seventeenth century English manual of medicinal and culinary preserving, treating cordials, conserves, syrups, and confections alongside remedies for household use. Hartman, who had served as steward to Sir Kenelm Digby, drew heavily on Digby's receipts and methods, making the volume an important conduit for that tradition within the broader genre of English receipt books.
Cooking from this book
Conserve of Red Roses
Signature dishA jewel-bright preserve made from fragrant red rose petals pounded with sugar, this conserve stands as an emblem of Hartman's volume, where the boundary between sweetmeat and remedy dissolves entirely. Prized as a cordial for the heart and a gentle restorative, it captures the seventeenth century English fascination with stillroom craft. Its presence here also signals Hartman's debt to Sir Kenelm Digby, whose perfumed, courtly sensibility shaped this fragrant tradition of healthful preserving.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
