SC -corn in the USA

[BalthazarBlack@aol.com]

<< What _is_ the period European 'pompion', aka 'pumpkin'? It appears
before Columbus, and Walafrid of Strabo (10th century) notes that the
big ones are suitable for making 'bushels' -- bushel baskets-- out of.
Which means that they were somewhat globular and also big enough to
carry stuff in when hollowed out. They were also eaten; they appear on
the account books for the reign of Jadwiga and Jagiello in Poland
(1386-1399). >>

AHH! Walahfrid Strabo! I was rowing around his island, the Reichenau in
the Bodensee, in 1989, thinking: "Here is where Walahfrid lived more
than 1100 years ago". A fine author. He died in 849; he once was abbot
at the Reichenau. _Strabo_ means 'the cross-eyed, the squinting'.

The "cucurbita" described in his 'Hortulus' is a bottle-gourd, according
to Stoffler, the editor of the Hortulus, and according to Marzell, who
compiled a multi-volume dictionary on German plant names and who wrote a
short article about "Die Pflanzen des 'Hortulus'" (The plants of the
'Hortulus').

Only in case both of us talk about the cucurbita-chapter, I wonder if
the _vasum_ in the passage "... in assiduos formarier usus // Vasorum
poterit ..." could be rendered as "'bushels' -- bushel baskets"; the
rest of the passage speaks about how to make a vessel/ bottle from the
gourds, to preserve wine for some time.

Cucurbita is also mentioned in the plant list of the 9th century
Capitulare de Villis; Günther Franz translates "Flaschenkürbis" (bottle
gourd), thereby relying on older authors on the question, too. In
addition, at the beginning of the capitulare there is sort of an
anti-corruption passage, and in this passage "buticulas" are mentioned
as a kind of gift to officers that is allowed. Now, there is some
dispute, what "buticulas" are, but _one_ interpretation is 'bottles made
of bottle gourds (together with some content)'.

Later on, the picture versions of the Tacuin sanitatis have a chapter on
"cucurbite". E.g. the socalled "Hausbuch der Cerruti" in the National
library of Austria shows bottle gourds under the heading "cucurbite".
[BTW, this source also says something about soft and hard cheese in
winter/summer, etc.]

Then there are all the herbals. The Hortus sanitatis 1485 e.g. has a
picture together with references to ancient authorities. Leonhard Fuchs
1543 in chapter 138 ("Von Kürbs" 'Of pumkin/gourd') distinguishes
several kinds & gives pictures. About the biggest ones, he says: "Vnd
würt zwar dise frucht zuo zeiten so groß/ als ein zimlicher kübel" (and,
truely, this plant grows at times as big as a quite big tub/pail).  ...

Then there are the dietetic texts ...

<< I've been trailing this question for years >>

This comes as no surprise. Go ahead.

Th.