SC - kitchen in a krak

[LrdRas@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/20/00 2:03:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
ringofkings at mindspring.com writes:

<< The separate terms
 "raysons of the sun" or "Zant raisins" probably preceded
 the term "curran" in the English language. >>

This is incorrect. Raison of Coraunte=raisons of courance=courance=currants 
is the basic etymology. Currants (Ribes berries) as we know them clearly were 
NOT what was meant in the period cookery manuals. This subject has been 
discussed before on the list and Stefan should have an extensive file 
covering the subject. 

Zante raisins (raisins of Corinth) were widely available throughout the 
continent during the middle ages and appear in all of the cookery manuals 
England seems to have been a major importer of Zante currants. A cursory look 
at the History of Food, Food in History and other works including Nana's 
exhaustive research will show that currants (Ribes) were not widely known 
outside their natural range until well outside SCA period. It was at that 
time that the diminutive 'currants' was transferred to the fruit of the Ribes 
plant. 

>From Miriam-Webster:

cur*rant (noun). [Middle English raison of Coraunte, literally, raisin of 
Corinth]. First appeared 14th Century. 1 : a small seedless raisin grown 
chiefly in the Levant.

Ras