SC - pumpkins

[Mark Harris]

Greetings,

I just saw this on the SCA-Arts mail list and thought some of you might
also be interested in this.

SCA-Cooks list have too much traffic? Naw. Well at least not currently.

Stefan li Rous
RSVE60 at email.sps.mot.com

- ------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 13:05:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at tulgey.browser.net>
To: SCA Arts list <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Subject: Pumpkins?

Yes, I know this isn't strictly arts & sciences, but I'm _afraid_ to get
on the Cooks' list-- too much traffic.

In research a presentation on medieval use of herbs, I came across about
four mentions of 'pompions' or 'pumpkins' supposedly in period. Rosetta
Clarkson quotes 7th century monk Walafrid Strabo, on the uses of pumpkins,
including being emptied, dried and used as a "bushel". Sophie Knab says
they were on the menu at the wedding of Jadwiga of Poland and Jagiello of
Lithuania in 1390-ish. Culpeper also mentions them.

Aren't pumpkins a new world veggie? If so, what was Strabo talking about
and what were Jadwiga and Jagiello eating? It would have to be a fairly
LARGE gourd, to be used as a bushel basket or measure... I can't think of
any that would qualify offhand. 

Help! This is driving me nuts!

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, aka Aunt Bunny, mka Jennifer Heise	
jenne at tulgey.browser.net


============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================