Posset

Among the most searched-for recipes on Google UK in 2008 were Eton mess (which I blogged on here) and lemon posset. I know the word 'posset' in relation to babies - it means a small amount of milky vomit or sick. That, however, is not the original meaning of 'posset'. The word 'posset' goes back to the 15th century when it meant a hot milky drink to which wine, ale or other flavourings were added. The OED says it was often drunk for medicinal purposes. The definition in the online OED is right up to the minute - it was revised this month, December 2008. The revisions consist of a more precise date for the earliest citation (now 1425) and 20th-century citations for posset meaning a cold syllabub or creamy dessert. Previously the last citation for posset was from Trollope's writings in 1876 and he was still referring to a hot drink. Posset is usually accompanied by another word eg lemon posset, gooseberry posset, oatmeal posset. Lemon posset is easy to make; it consists of just three ingredients - cream, sugar and lemons. Here's a recipe.