SC - Rice in period?

[April Abbott]

> The thread "A Dilemma on what to cook for Dinner-HELP!" and the interesting
> sub-thread on period polenta got me thinking about another now common grain
> -- RICE.
>
> When did rice enter the cuisines of "SCA period" places? As a Middle
> Eastern persona, at what time would i be able to eat rice? When did rice
> begin to be eaten in Europe? I would assume Italy first, because of the
> connextion with the Near East, but i don't really know any of the history?

    Well, I'm looking through my copy of Platina's De Honesta Voluptate et
Valetudine (the Mary Ella Milham translation) and I see Catalan Blancmange
(using rice flour,) Rice in Whatever Broth You Want, Rice in Almonds,
another recipe for Catalan Blancmange (again using rice flour,) Rice Pie,
Millet Pie (which can also be done with rice,) Date Pie (which has rice in
it,) White Pie (uses well-cooked rice and the juice of almost cooked rice,)
Rice Fritters, another recipe for Rice Fritters, Fritters in the Form of
Fish (made of rice.)  The description of rice refers the ancient spelling,
and a footnote metions reference to rice in Celsus.
    Rice seems to be safely within period for Italy, at least.  Me
speculating here.... I belive arborio rice is currently grown in the Po
river valley in Italy.  Is it a native species there?  Perhaps rice didn't
have to be imported from anywhere else.

- -Sofonisba
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