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Black Ointment | Chef Cecil | Chef Cecil

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American Southern

Black Ointment

Name: Black Ointment
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American Southern
Ingredients: 1 oz red lead; 1 cups sweet oil (do. (ditto/same as previous)); 1 tbsp linseed oil

Historic recipe from Malinda Russell's 1866 cookbook "A Domestic Cook Book". Page 39. One of the earliest known cookbooks by an African American author.

15 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

8Servings

hardDifficulty

I Made It!

UpdatedLast updated5 months ago

Why This Recipe Works

This is a historical medicinal ointment, NOT a food recipe. It contains red lead (lead tetroxide), which is highly toxic and should never be ingested or applied to skin. This recipe is preserved for historical documentation purposes only as an example of 19th-century medicinal practices that are now known to be dangerous.

Before You Begin

•DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE - it contains toxic lead compounds that cause serious health harm
•This is a historical medical preparation, not a culinary recipe, and is documented for educational purposes only
•Red lead (lead tetroxide) is a poisonous substance banned from consumer products
•19th-century medical practices often used toxic materials before their dangers were understood
•If you are researching historical recipes, consult academic sources and never attempt to recreate medicinal preparations containing heavy metals