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Barley Cream

From Mrs. Beeton's household management (1907).

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A historical recipe

Mrs. Beeton's household management, by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton (1907).

United Kingdom

Known as a British recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards. Printed in United Kingdom: that says where the book was made, not where the dish comes from.

Ingredients 4 ingredients

  1. a Ib. of raw chicken
  2. an oz. of pearl barley
  3. a pint of cold water
  4. a gill of cream

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Chicken as food High in niacin · High in vitamin B6 · High in protein · +6

    High in niacin · 5.6 mg per 100 g, 35% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Niacin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Niacin contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Niacin contributes to normal psychological function.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Niacin contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.
    • Niacin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.
    • Niacin contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

    Niacin (also called vitamin B3) helps turn the food you eat into the energy you need. Niacin is important for the development and function of the cells in your body. NIH fact sheet

    High in vitamin B6 · 0.5 mg per 100 g, 37% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal cysteine synthesis.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    7 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal protein and glycogen metabolism.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to normal red blood cell formation.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity.

    Vitamin B6 is a vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. The body needs vitamin B6 for more than 100 enzyme reactions involved in metabolism. NIH fact sheet

    High in protein · 17 g per 100 g, 49% of the energy from protein

    • Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Source of riboflavin · 0.2 mg per 100 g, 17% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Riboflavin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Riboflavin contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Riboflavin contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.
    6 more authorised claims
    • Riboflavin contributes to the maintenance of normal red blood cells.
    • Riboflavin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.
    • Riboflavin contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.
    • Riboflavin contributes to the normal metabolism of iron.
    • Riboflavin contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
    • Riboflavin contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

    Riboflavin (also called vitamin B2) is important for the growth, development, and function of the cells in your body. It also helps turn the food you eat into the energy you need. NIH fact sheet

    Source of vitamin B12 · 0.6 µg per 100 g, 22% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin B12 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Vitamin B12 contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Vitamin B12 contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin B12 contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Vitamin B12 contributes to normal red blood cell formation.
    • Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin B12 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Vitamin B12 has a role in the process of cell division.

    Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. NIH fact sheet

    Source of pantothenic acid · 1.1 mg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Pantothenic acid contributes to normal mental performance.
    • Pantothenic acid contributes to normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Pantothenic acid contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

    Pantothenic acid (also called vitamin B5) helps turn the food you eat into the energy you need. It’s important for many functions in the body, especially making and breaking down fats. NIH fact sheet

    Source of potassium · 522 mg per 100 g, 26% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Potassium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Potassium contributes to normal muscle function.
    • Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

    Potassium is a mineral found in many foods. Your body needs potassium for almost everything it does, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission. NIH fact sheet

    Source of phosphorus · 178 mg per 100 g, 25% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Phosphorus contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Phosphorus contributes to normal function of cell membranes.
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal teeth.

    Phosphorus is a mineral contained in each cell in our body. Most phosphorus is in the bones and teeth, and some is in your genes. NIH fact sheet

    Source of selenium · 10 µg per 100 g, 19% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Selenium contributes to the normal thyroid function.
    • Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Selenium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Your thyroid gland needs selenium to produce hormones and function properly. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Chicken, ground, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Ingredients.
  2. — \ a Ib.
  3. of raw chicken or lean veal, £ an oz.
  4. of pearl barley, £ a pint of cold water, £ a gill of cream, salt and pepper.
  5. Method.
  6. — Shred the chicken-meat or veal finely or pass it through a mincing machine.
  7. Cover the barley with cold water, boil for 2 or 3 minutes, then strain.
  8. Replace the barley in the stewpan, add the prepared meat, water and a little salt, and cook as gently as possible from if to 2 hours.
  9. Strain, pound the meat and barley in a mortar until smooth, moistening it meanwhile with a little of the liquor in which it was cooked, and rub it through a fine sieve.
  10. Add the cream slightly whipped, season to taste, and either serve cold, or re-heat a little as required.
  11. Time.
  12. — 2j hours.
  13. Average Cost, 9d., when veal is used.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Sieve
Source public domain per archive.org metadata; unverified
Credit

From Mrs. Beeton's household management (1907), printed page 1363, digitised by the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/mrsbeetonshouse00beetuoft

What was changed: Read by machine from the book's scanned text into ingredients and method. The title's capitals were tidied; spelling and scanning errors are left as they are.