A Spanish Prison Diet.

The eighteenth century prison reformer John Howard visited many British and foreign gaols in the 1780’s. He left detailed reports in his book The State of The Prisons In England and Wales: With Preliminary Observations, And An Account Of Some Foreign Prisons And Hospitals published in 1784.

Howard’s report of the Spanish prison and hospital at San Fernando make for interesting reading.

The Table of Diet for San Fernando.

Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Twenty ounces of bread, eight ounces of mutton, and two ounces of garvances (i.e. yellow beans dried). 

Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Twenty ounces of bread, four ounces of meat, and two ounces of garvances.

At night, four ounces of bread in broth, or three ounces of lentils; or two ounces and a half of jew-beans. 

Fridays and fast days. Twenty ounces of bread, three ounces of dried fish, two ounces of rice, and two ounces and a half of jew-beans.

To make their ollas, they are allowed, on meat days, eight pounds of salt butter; on Fridays, four pounds for supper.

On Fridays, they are allowed, one pound of oil and twenty-five pounds of jew-beans, garvances, and lentils for soupe-maigre.

On meat days,cayenne pepper for sauce.

Diet table for the Infirmary.

Full Diet.

Breakfast. Bread two ounces.

Dinner. Bread eight ounces, meat six ounces.
Supper. Bread six ounces, meat four ounces.

Half Diet.

Breakfast. Bread two ounces.

Dinner. Bread four ounces, meat four ounces.
Supper. The same.

Common Diet.

Breakfast. Broth.

Dinner. Bread two ounces, and broth.
Supper. The same.

Low Diet.

Broth only.

Chocolate, biscuits, wine and other necessaries are allowed the sick; according to discretionary orders from the physician, who is to be guided by the medical rules approved of by the body of physicians at Madrid.

Nurses and others who attend the sick are allowed a diet of ten ounces of meat, sixteen ounces of bread, two ounces of garvances, and half a quarto (about half a pint English) of wine daily.

Olla is a general term in Spain for a variety of ingredients boiled over a slow tie, meat, greens, pepper, &c.

I am not sure what “jew-beans” are, and hope one of you can enlighten me. I have seen suggestions that they are haricot beans or fava beans.

As the recipe for the day, I give you a nice stew from The Jewish manual; or, Practical information in Jewish and modern cookery (1846)

Beef with Celery, And White Beans And Peas.

Soak for twelve hours one pint of dried white peas, and half a pint of the same kind of beans, they must be well soaked, and if very dry, may require longer than twelve hours, put a nice piece of brisket of about eight pounds weight in a stew-pan with the peas and beans, and three heads of celery cut in small pieces, put water enough to cover, and season with pepper and salt only, let it all stew slowly till the meat is extremely tender and the peas and beans quite soft, then add four large lumps of sugar and nearly a tea-cup of vinegar; this is a very fine stew.