Maunsel White

Maunsel White (in Hibernia anno fere 1783 natus; mortuus die 17 Decembris 1863) fuit miles et colonus Americanus. Prope Limericum aut Tipperariam natus,^[1] annum quattuordecimum agens in Americam migravit. Ludovicopoli Kentukiae a principio habitavit ubi amicus erat Zachariae Taylor praesidis futuri. Ab anno 1801 Novae Aureliae moravit, quae urbs a Civitatibus Foederatis post duos annos acquisita erit. White ibi rationarius operam dedit et postea mercator fit ipsa in urbe. Anno 1815 duce Andrea Jackson proeliis Neo-Aurelianensibus ad urbem contra exercitum Britannicum defendendam militavit.

Ibidem denuo byssi emptor venundatorque divitissimus factus est (productoribus Taylor et Jackson inter alios). Latifundium Deer Range haud procul distans aliaque tria possedit, servis nigricoloribus fere ducentis ibi laborantibus. Ad latifundia se anno circiter 1845 retraxit ut saccharum, mellaceum^(en), vinum ex aurantiis, insuper maizium oryzamque et indicum produceret. His annis amicus erat Iacobi De Bow^(en) editoris libellorum De Bow's Review, cum quo ad universitatem Ludovicianensem (hodie "Tulane" nuncupatam) constituendam agebat. Ab anno 1846 usque in 1850 senator civitatis Ludovicianae pro paroecia Plaquemines merebat.

De re gastronomica

Epicureum, ganeonem, vinorum optimorum amatorem esse refertur: convivis suis apud latifundium Deer Range scientiam gastronomicam demonstravisse: coquos suos, servos suos, Lutetiam ad artem culinariam discendam misisse: salsas peritius confecisse: aromata varia temptavisse.^[2]

Varietatem capsicorum Tabasco ipse in Civitatibus Foederatis ante annum 1850 introduxisse fertur et apud Deer Range coluisse: visitator quidam "ne oblitum sit" ait "capsicetum eius, iugeris duobus mensura, novo capsicorum rubrorum specie sertum esse quam introduxit colonellus White in nostram civitatem, nomine Tobasco".^[3] E quo fructu primus omnium salsam vel decoctionem, immixtis aromatibus vinoque ex aurantiis,^[4] confecerit:

Nam impossibile esse comperuit, causa substantiae oleaginosae, hae capsica siccatione conservare, sed, aceto fortissimo bullito et infuso, ius vel decoctionem ex eis confecit quae facultates omnes plantarum concentratissime reservaret. Stilla singula illius decoctionis saporem ad iuscellum aliudve ferculum confert. Usum talis decoctionis, praesertim quando laborantibus pararetur, beneficentissimum fore agnosceretur sub caelo nostro dissolutivo. Iam enim cholerico morbo apud Meridianos irrumpente, nullus, e magna colonelli White caterva nigricolorum, usque adhuc affectus est: quam incolumitatem ille ad usum liberalem pretiosi huius medicaminis ascribit."^[5]

Salsa sua mox perfecta ipse semper utebatur ad ova, ostreas, pisces, pisa, phaseolos, paniculos e maizio temperandos; iter faciens lagoenam huius salsae secum tenebat; apud Gem Saloon Novae Aureliae ostreas salsa sua accommodatas sumere solebat.^[6]

Inventore mortuo salsa quaedam capsicorum, nomine "Maunsel White's", ab annis 1850 usque in annos 1910 ab eo ipso haeredibusque venditabatur. Anno 1853 in Nova Aurelia his verbis nuntiata est:

Amatores, gastronomi, ganeones: notate bene! Nuper recepit copiam salsae capsicorum, quae appellatur Quintessentia capsicorum Tabasco Maunsel White, emptoribusque pretio minuto offert E. Monteuse apothecarius generalis [Neo-Aurelianus]. ^[7]

Liquamen autem Tabasco, ex eisdem capsicis ab Edmundo McIlhenny confectum, prosperius emissum est et hodie usque requiritur.

Notae

↑ Prope Limericum fide Archivegrid; Tipperariae fide Naj (1992) p. 158; ad "Clonwell" prope Tipperariam fide Online Archive of California (nonne Clonmel?)
↑ ... cultivated fondness for ... fine wines ... "A high-liver and epicure" is how a contemporary described Maunsel White. At his Deer Range Plantation ... White loved showing off as a consummate gourmet ... He even sent two of his kitchen slaves to Paris to learn French cooking. He was especially adept at making sauces, having been influenced by the French predilection for coating, basting and bathing foods in buttery sauces. He experimented with herbs and spices: Naj (1992) p. 159
↑ I must not omit to notice the Colonel’s pepper patch, which is two acres in extent, all planted with a new species of red pepper, which Colonel White has introduced into our country, called Tobasco red pepper: Daily Delta (7 Decembris 1849) fide Mark Masker, "A History of Peppers in the United States Pt 1" et Grace (2004)
↑ White combined tabasco juice with orange wine and spices in several different proportions: Naj (1992) p. 160
↑ Colonel Maunsel White’s Hygenic Peppers: Owing to its oleaginous character, Col. White found it impossible to preserve it by drying; but by pouring strong vinegar on it after boiling, he has made a sauce or pepper decoction of it, which possesses in a most concentrated form all the qualities of the vegetable. A single drop of the sauce will flavor a whole plate of soup or other food. The use of a decoction like this, particularly in preparing the food for laboring persons, would be found exceedingly beneficial in a relaxing climate like this. Col. White has not had a single case of cholera among his large gang of negroes since the disease appeared in the south. He attributes this to the free use of this valuable agent: Daily Delta (26 Ianuarii 1850) apud Accessible Archives et Grace (2004)
↑ He would habitually reach for it to douse his eggs, oysters, fish, peas, beans, even corn muffins. When he traveled, the sauce went along with him ... At the Gem Restaurant in New Orleans he was often found sitting behind mounds of oysters with a bottle of his concoction in one hand: Naj (1992) p. 160
↑ Amateurs, Connoisseurs, and Bon Vivants: Attention!!! Maunsel White's Concentrated Essence of Tabasco Peppers: The undersigned has just received a consignment of the above celebrated Pepper Sauce which he offers to the public at reduced prices. E. Monteuse, wholesale druggist, corner Chartres and Bienville Streets: Daily Delta (9 Martii 1853) fide Naj (1992) pp. 161-162

Bibliographia

Fontes fere coaevi

1849-1850 : Daily Delta [Nova Aurelia] (7 Decembris 1849; 26 Ianuarii 1850; 9 Martii 1853) Situs venalis
1853 : "Gallery of Industry and Enterprise: Maunsel White, Merchant, of New-Orleans" in De Bow's Review vol. 14 p. 85
1858 : "Pioneers of the Southwest, no. 1: Maunsel White of Louisiana" in De Bow's Review vol. 25 (pp. 480-482 apud Google Books)

Eruditio

Clement Eaton, The Mind of the Old South (2a ed. Louisiana State University Press, 1967) pp. 70-86 Exemplar mutuabile
Roger M. Grace, "Reminiscing: Was Col. Maunsel White the True Originator of Tabasco Sauce?" in Metropolitan News-Enterprise (15 Iulii 2004) p. 15
Michael L. Kurtz, "White, Maunsel" in Dictionary of Louisiana Biography (1988-1998)
Amal Naj, Peppers: a story of hot pursuits (Novi Eboraci: Knopf, 1992) pp. 158-162 (sed quo fonte de re gastronomica?)Exemplar mutuabile
Denver Nicks, Hot Sauce Nation (Chicagi: Chicago Review Press, 2017) pp. 139-143
S. Tucker, ed., New Orleans Cuisine: Fourteen Signature Dishes and Their Histories (University Press of Mississippi, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60473-645-8) p. 66

Nexus externi

"Archivegrid: Maunsell White papers, 1852-1898" apud Louisiana State University
"Maunsel White papers, 1802-1912" apud University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"Manuscript Collection: Maunsel White (etc., 1814-1957)" apud Gilcrease Museum
"Guide to the Maunsell-White Family Papers" apud Online Archive of California
Chuck Evans, "The Real History of Tabasco®" (2012)

[1] Prope Limericum fide Archivegrid; Tipperariae fide Naj (1992) p. 158; ad "Clonwell" prope Tipperariam fide Online Archive of California (nonne Clonmel?)

[2] ... cultivated fondness for ... fine wines ... "A high-liver and epicure" is how a contemporary described Maunsel White. At his Deer Range Plantation ... White loved showing off as a consummate gourmet ... He even sent two of his kitchen slaves to Paris to learn French cooking. He was especially adept at making sauces, having been influenced by the French predilection for coating, basting and bathing foods in buttery sauces. He experimented with herbs and spices: Naj (1992) p. 159

[3] I must not omit to notice the Colonel’s pepper patch, which is two acres in extent, all planted with a new species of red pepper, which Colonel White has introduced into our country, called Tobasco red pepper: Daily Delta (7 Decembris 1849) fide Mark Masker, "A History of Peppers in the United States Pt 1" et Grace (2004)

[4] White combined tabasco juice with orange wine and spices in several different proportions: Naj (1992) p. 160

[5] Colonel Maunsel White’s Hygenic Peppers: Owing to its oleaginous character, Col. White found it impossible to preserve it by drying; but by pouring strong vinegar on it after boiling, he has made a sauce or pepper decoction of it, which possesses in a most concentrated form all the qualities of the vegetable. A single drop of the sauce will flavor a whole plate of soup or other food. The use of a decoction like this, particularly in preparing the food for laboring persons, would be found exceedingly beneficial in a relaxing climate like this. Col. White has not had a single case of cholera among his large gang of negroes since the disease appeared in the south. He attributes this to the free use of this valuable agent: Daily Delta (26 Ianuarii 1850) apud Accessible Archives et Grace (2004)

[6] He would habitually reach for it to douse his eggs, oysters, fish, peas, beans, even corn muffins. When he traveled, the sauce went along with him ... At the Gem Restaurant in New Orleans he was often found sitting behind mounds of oysters with a bottle of his concoction in one hand: Naj (1992) p. 160

[7] Amateurs, Connoisseurs, and Bon Vivants: Attention!!! Maunsel White's Concentrated Essence of Tabasco Peppers: The undersigned has just received a consignment of the above celebrated Pepper Sauce which he offers to the public at reduced prices. E. Monteuse, wholesale druggist, corner Chartres and Bienville Streets: Daily Delta (9 Martii 1853) fide Naj (1992) pp. 161-162

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