SC - Ras' Church lesson for the day

[ana l. valdes]

- -----Original Message-----
From: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net>


>In reading "Food and Drink in Medieval Poland" I came across some
>interesting comments about some spices I had not heard before.
>
>p41:
>This paragraph is about the middle to late 1300s.
>He mentions the importation of two sorts of galingale ("lesser",.
>Alpina officinarum, and "greater", Alpina galanga).
>
>Have other folks seen mention of two types of galingale? Which one
>is the one sold today as galingale? both? Any idea what the differances
>are?


We carry both types of galingale. Greater or Java galingale  (southeast
Asia) is the milder of the two, perhaps like a mixture of ginger and
cardamon.  Lesser galingale (southern China) is much sharper in flavour,
like a combination of ginger and pepper. Greater galingale would seem to
have been the preferred variety in medieval Europe, though both were used.


>He also mentions Cypriot "monk's pepper" the seed of agnia or chaste
>tree (Vitex agnus castus). "The pepper was added to monastic dishes to
>suppress venery or sexual desire."

We have monk's pepper if you want to try some (it's not in the web
catalogue; we use it in a spice mixture -- but if anyone wants some e-mail
and we'll quote you a price)


Yours spicily,
Francesco
David Dendy / ddendy at silk.net
partner in Francesco Sirene, Spicer / sirene at silk.net
Visit our Website at http://www.silk.net/sirene/


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