The World of Courtesans c7.47

c7.47

The wines generally in demand were *medaka* (made of rice), *prasanna* (made of flour, nutmeg and other spices), *asava* (made of the elephant-apple called *kapittha* and sugar) which was of superior and inferior kind, medicinal wines (*arishta*), *maireya* (made of jaggery and spices), grape wines (*madhu*) like *kapisayani* imported from Kapisa (the modern Begram, near Kabul) and *harahuraka* imported from Herat. Other small items of information are also given. For instance, we are told about the methods of preparing the fermenting material, spices, grape juice and honey which were added to *medaka* and *prasanna* to give them their peculiar flavour, the colouring materials of *prasanna*, the formula for making *asava* and white wine (*shvetasura*). Mango wine was made from mango juice and spices. A list is given of the costly spices added to the pots of wine to be presented to the king.