SC - Period Beet Recipes (was: summer feast)
Nick Sasso
njs at mccalla.com
Wed Oct 20 06:28:05 PDT 1999
Remember that Hildegart was somewhat of a fringist in her time. Her practices were, by no means, universally accepted, though not exactly banished by the Church either. Her practices of singing sacred music, herbal/natural healing, reading gospels alound in public and some Sophiaistic teachings were all rather radical at the time. . . if not borderline 'heretical' or pagan. I suggest that her description of beets as foodstuff would not imply that beets were commonly eaten, but that they could be eaten in some fashion . . . similar to Master Adamantius' assertion about Gerard on beets in the herbal.
Even that fact that a woman wrote about health (or anything for that matter) in the 12th century is radical and inspiring to women today.
pacem et bonum,
niccolo difrancesco
A couple of months ago I found a copy of Hildegard von Bingen's Naturkunde
translated into modern German by Peter Riethe. He doesn't give the
original, only his translations of her natural history work. I checked to
see of there was an entry for beets and this is what I found (English
translation is mine):
De Ruba. Die Weiße Rübe ist mehr als kalt, liegt zwar etwas schwer im
Magen, ist aber leicht verdaulich. Vor dem Genusse werde sie geschält; roh
ist sie weniger zuträglich als gekocht.
De Ruba. The white Beet is more than cold, lays somewhat hard in the
stomach; it is however easy to digest. Before consumption it should be
peeled; raw is less beneficial than cooked.
This is 12th century stuff here. Until I read this I was convinced that
until very late in period the leaves and not the roots were what was eaten.
But peeling before eating sort of implies using the roots.
Valoise
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