CUSTARD AND AMBERGRIS
Sut,—Mr. Harold Nicolson's delightful article on English cookery will doubtless result in his joining the Kitchen Committee of his club. As a member of the same club I view this prospect with rather mixed feelings. Nothing would please me better than to have our usually excellent menu forever purged of that " revolting condiment " custard. But I am repelled by the prospect of its replacement with ambergris which, Mr. Nicolson says, our ancestors used to enjoy. It was not, however, the flavour of this rare and costly product of the sperm whale which our ancestors enjoyed. Like the Arabs of today, they used it as a stimulant (again to quote Mr. Nicolson) " to greater feats of imagination and ingenuity." In short, they used it as an aphrodisiac.—
Previous page
