This is an excerpt from An Anonymous Tuscan Cookery Book
(Italy, ~1400 - Ariane Helou, trans.)
The original source can be found at
Ariane Helou's website
Squid ink. Note that squid ink should be tied off at the head, so that it does not leak; and smoke it, so that when you want to make dressing, sauce, broth or other food black, you come back to this. Item note, as described above, in every dressing, sauce, or broth, you can put precious materials, that is gold, precious stones, select spices, or rather cardamom, savory or common herbs, onions, leeks according to your taste, for the healthy and the infirm.