19th century French culinary measures

From a 19th century recipe book:

"un quart de champignons" (no quart de kilogram etc and because champignon is plural, I'm guessing this is some measure.

also in a recipe: demi-verre de fine Champagne - refers to cognac, not Champagne?

I know that une livre and l'once were both in use then, but "un quart" I cannot find anywhere.

And no help in Le Littre!

Ideas?

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EducatorPermalink Reply by George Hunt on May 10, 2013 at 9:01pm

I never knew Champagne could refer to Cognac but now I do!

Also because champagne is "le champagne" in French then I don't see how "fine Champagne" could refer to champagne as it would have to be "fin Champagne" wouldn't it?

"un quart de champignons" ? Would that just be a quarter of a pound of mushrooms?

I can find a few instances (one from 1834) of "un quart de beurre frais" where it is obviously shorthand for "un quart de livre beurre frais"

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yoYPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA45&lpg...

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on May 10, 2013 at 9:10pm

"Fine Champagne", yes, it is a Cognac : Le cognac Fine Champagne.

"Fine" is used for "une eau-de-vie" produced in an area (dans une région) and this area is Champagne

but "Champagne" doesn't refer to the wine "Champagne" nor the region "Champagne", but to 2 areas called "petite Champagne" and "grande Champagne" in Charentes that is the country of the "cognac".