RICHES IN RECIPES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19384, 20 July 1926, Page 7

RICHES IN RECIPES.

A fortune awaits die lucky inventor of a new food, drink or relish. No less than £330,000 was once paid in the open market for the recipe of Chartreuse, that delectable liqueur whose secret was known only to the monks (if "La Grande Chartreuse.

Expelled from France in 1793 the Fathers of this order were wise enough to take their jealously-guarded recipe with them. This "scrap of paper" originally consisted of a single sheet, but numerous additions and alterations, together with more detailed directions regarding , the manufacture of their precious liqueur, caused the parchment to. grow eventually into a book containing 100 pages. A- goodly proportion of breakfast bacon has been cured by the famous Brandonburg metl»od. The secret of ,this process was purchased for £IO,OOO by. an enterprising firm ol' bacon curera, and their outlay must have been returned to them many times over. Worcester sauce was invented by a retainer serving in a layrge country house. Finding that his relish was appreciated by the family and their guests, he sold the recipe for a few pounds to the original head of a famous sauce-making firm. Although this transaction took place 200 year's ago no variation has been made in the ingredients of the popular table delicacy, and it is probably no exaggeration to sav that the recipe is now worth over £IOO,OOO. Many years ago an Indian traded for a few rupees the formula for mixing the ingredients for a special kind of chutney. This was subsequently sold «again for £7500, and produced a vast fortune for its final purchaser.