SC - spikenard

[Decker, Terry D.]

A good place to start looking for spices is on Francisco Sirene's web site:

http://www.silk.net/sirene/index.htm

The following is from his spice finder and catalog:

SPICA INDICA (ancient Rome) = Spikenard (Spices).

Spikenard (Spices) = Nardostachys jatamansi.

This root (or more properly rhizome) has a heavy and peculiar odour, like a
mixture of valerian and patchouli. The taste is bitter and aromatic. Used in
India from early times in perfume and medicine, it was imported to the
Greco-Roman world. It scented the precious ointment offered to Jesus. The
Roman cookbook of Apicius calls for it in sauces for meat, seafood, and
fowl. It is an ingredient in some medieval hypocras and clarry recipes.
[n.b. -- do not confuse this with American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), a
totally different plant, which is what is usually offered as 'spikenard' in
North America.]

The high level URL for the new Florilegium is:

 http://lonestar.texas.net/~lg_photo/florilegium/

Bear


> I wonder if I can find some help here with a spice named spikenard, or
> "Nard from Spayn". I tried to find some information in Stefans
> Florilegium, but I am afraid I have the wrong URL. I came only to the
> page with plain text messages, but not to the one classified in
> different topics. The url I used was this one:
> http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/cookbooks-msg.html.
> 
> Can some you mail me the right URL or/and inform me about the spikenard.
> It should be a spice to make the Hippocras. But the question is: is it a
> root from Indien or is it the Spanish "nardo", a fleshy and bitter
> flower?
> Thank you in advance
> Ana
> 
============================================================================

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".

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