SC - Is Arrowroot Period?

[CBlackwill at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/3/00 5:53:38 AM Pacific Daylight Time, troy at asan.com 
writes:

> I can only ask, honestly,
>  if you have any reason to believe that American imports such as
>  arrowroot _did_ have any impact on European eating habits prior to
>  Columbus' voyages to the New World and back?

In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue......which 
means he did so "in period".  108 years within period, if my math serves me 
(which it usually doesn't).  While arrowroot may be a bit of a stretch, there 
is some evidence to suggest that New World products had made considerable 
in-roads in medieval Europe prior to the end of our time of interest (i.e. 
1600 a.d.)  For example:

The potato was brought to Europe in 1534 by that intrepid explorer Pizzaro.  
It soon spread from Spain to Italy, and then (according to the Larousse 
Gastronomique) it was planted all over Europe.  While the French knew of the 
potato in "period", they considered it peasant food, so we can assume it 
never made it to the royal feasting board.   This does not mean that it was 
not eaten in vast quantities.  There were, after all, just a few more 
peasants than nobility in medieval Europe.  I guess it would boil down to 
whether you are cooking a "royal feast" or a "peasant feast".

Chocolate is also a New World product, which was brought to Europe in period. 
 Columbus was given a sack of  "cacahuatl" by the Aztec welcome wagon in 1502 
(some 98 years before the end of our era of study).  The first cargo of the 
cocoa bean arrived in Spain (courtesy of Cortez) in 1524.  Although chocolate 
was not popularized as a drink until the 17th century, Bayonne saw a guild of 
chocolatiers as early as 1761, which may indicate that chocolate was being 
consumed in Europe much earlier than this.  If you add into the equation the 
fact that, since its arrival in Europe, chocolate was believed to have great 
medicinal properties, I think it is safe to assume that its use quickly 
spread.

The tomato was imported into spain in the beginning of the 16th century.  
However, being a relative of the Belladonna/Deadly Nightshade family, it was 
thought to be poisonous by much of medieval Europe until the 18th century, 
and was grown more for ornamental uses than culinary ones.  This is not to 
say that it was not eaten, however, particularly by the peasant population, 
who often were scrounging around for whatever morsels of food they could find.

It seems to me to be a little presumptuous to dismiss, out of hand, New World 
products simply because they do not appear on medieval ships manifests, or in 
the relatively few cookery books which have survived the ages.  But, then 
again, how can we be certain that these items "were" eaten?  It's a puzzle I 
do not have the answer to, sadly, and which will keep SCA cooks at each 
others throats for years, I would imagine.

Respectfully submitted,
Balthazar of Blackmoor.