SAVORY RAGOUT POWDER

1 oz. salt
1/2 oz. ground mustard (dry)
1/4 oz. ground allspice (or 1/8 oz. each of mace and cloves)
1/2 oz. ground black pepper
1/2 oz. dried lemon peel, ground
1/4 oz. ginger
1/4 oz. nutmeg
1/4 oz. cayenne pepper

Pound them patiently, and pass them through a fine hair-sieve; bottle them for use. The above articles will pound easier and finer, if they are dried first in a Dutch oven before a very gentle fire, at a good distance from it. If you give them too much heat, the fine flavor of them will be presently evaporated, and they will soon get a strong, rank, empyreumatic* taste.
N. B. Infused in a quart of vinegar or wine, they make a savory relish for soups, sauces, &c.

The Cook's Oracle by William Kitchiner, MD, New York, 1832

Comment: We are almost tempted to leave a certain word here undefined, so as to encourage good research habits amongst our readers, but then again we do not want to remind anyone of bitter memories of evil fourth-grade teachers who always told you to "Look it up yourself!" when you asked a tough question. So:

*Empyreumatic: Being or having an odor of burnt organic matter as a result of decomposition at high temperature. (Webster's Third New International Dictionary)

Beyond that the recipe is reasonably self-explanatory. Unless one is making this seasoning mix in commercial quantities or eats ragout on an almost daily basis, we suggest making only as much as is needed for a particular recipe, or at least will be used in a fairly short time. Spices keep their flavor best when whole. Once ground, grated or pounded in a mortar as called for here, their volatile elements, the molecules which give them their flavors, start to evaporate rapidly.

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