SC - beets & cabbage

[Cindy Renfrow]

Hello!

Gerard (1633 ed. of the 1597 work) writes of beets in his Herball, pages
318-319: "Beta alba. White Beets....the white Beete is a cold and moist
pot-herbe...Being eaten when it is boyled, it quickly descendeth...
especially being taken with the broth wherein it is sodden...

Beta rubra, Beta rubra Romana. Red Beets, Red Roman Beets.
 ...The great and beautiful Beet last described may be vsed in winter for a
salad herbe, with vinegar, oyle, and salt, and is not onely pleasant to the
taste, but also delightfull to the eye.
The greater red Beet or Roman Beet, boyled and eaten with oyle, vineger and
pepper, is a most excellent and delicate sallad:  but what might be made of
the red and beautifull root (which is to be preferred before the leaues, as
well in beauty as in goodnesse) I refer vnto the curious and cunning cooke,
who no doubt when he hath had the view thereof, and is assured that it is
both good and wholesome, will make thereof many and diuers dishes, both
faire and good."

His illustration of the Red Roman Beet shows a plant with a skinny taproot.
That bit about "who no doubt when he hath had the view thereof, and is
assured that it is both good and wholesome, will make thereof many and
diuers dishes, both faire and good" suggests that the red beet was not well
known in England at that time.

Waverly Root, in his book "Food", p. 30, says that early Romans ate only
the greens, but by the beginning of the Christian era they were eating the
leaves & roots. He says root beet appears in Charlemagne's garden list, but
that the root beet had to be re-introduced into Renaissance France.

Parkinson, "Paradisi in Sole...", p. 490, says "The great red Beete that
Master Lete a Merchant of London gaue vnto Master Gerard, as he setteth it
downe in his Herball, seemeth to bee the red kind of the last remembred
Beete [Red Roman Beet], whose great ribbes as he saith, are as great as the
middle ribbe of the Cabbage leafe, and as good to bee eaten, whose stalke
rose with him to the height of eight cubits, and bore plenty of seede...
The roote of the common red Beete with some, but more especially the Romane
red Beete, is of much vse among Cookes to trimme or set out their dishes of
meate, being cut out into diuers formes and fashions, and is grown of late
dayes into a great custome of seruice, both for fish and flesh.
The rootes of the Romane red Beete being boyled, are eaten of diuers while
they are hot with a little oyle and vinegar, and is accounted a delicate
sallet for the winter; and being cold they are so vsed and eaten likewise."

(Note:  The beet grown in Gerard's garden must have caused quite a
sensation at the time.  8 cubits tall!  What's the tallest beet you've ever
grown?)



<snip> is borscht appropriate for 12th c ireland?
<snip>
>===
> Conchobar Mac Muirchertaig
>

Based on the above, my guess is 'no'.

Regards,


Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
Author & Publisher of "Take a Thousand Eggs or More, A Collection of 15th
Century Recipes" and "A Sip Through Time, A Collection of Old Brewing
Recipes"
http://www.alcasoft.com/renfrow/


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