23/02/2021
The Story of the Four Thieves
As the plague swept through Marseilles (most likely the one in the 1700s), four men working in the shipyards with imported herbs and spices realised that they seemed more resistant to the terrible disease than other people. They took advantage of this apparent immunity by robbing the homes and graves of the dead. People couldn’t understand why these thieves didn’t fall sick themselves when the plague was so contagious.
Folklore suggests that when the thieves were eventually apprehended, the judge offered them a deal: reveal the secret of their immunity and they would not be put to death by being burned at the stake. The thieves agreed and divulged the recipe for the magic potion they soaked their clothes in that protected them from contracting the plague. They were saved from death at the stake but were hanged instead!
There are many versions of the magic potion. One theory is that it was a combination of herbs that were steeped in vinegar. Today people make Four Thieves vinegar using various combinations of rosemary, mint, lavender, sage, marjoram, thyme and garlic, steeped in white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. As well as a salad dressing and marinades, some people use it as a natural cleanser.
Four Thieves Oil is also sold as a blend of clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary and orange essential oils, for use in oil burners.
