SC - European Food

[Christi Rigby]

Brangwayna wrote:

We like to clarify things on this list.  One of those things is that saying
"this is period" doesn't make much sense unless you specify the
country/region and date.  Just because they were planting potatoes in Spain
in the 1500's does not make it a certainty that they were eating potatoes in
Finland in the 1500's.  (And in fact, planting potatoes in Spain doesn't
constitute proof that people were eating them; maybe they were fed to the
oxen. Maybe they were used to make starch for clothes. I haven't seen the
particular source, so I don't know exactly what it says.)
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Not having seen this source I can not say wither.  But I do remember people
mentioning on the list that in some sources, they were grown up over arbors
like a vine for decoration because they were thought to be poisonous as they
are a member of the nightshade family.  If there is documentation for them
being eaten, I am not sure I have seen any listed.  At least not recipes for
potatoes.

As for the tomatoes, if they were found in the stomachs of mummies, that may
be proof that they were used for medicinal purposes to help heal the ill.
If there is no documentation for them being prepared in a recipe it is hard
for any of us to say that they were eaten as a food staple in any region.  I
would like to see the article in Discovery because they have found many
things in mummies tummy's  that have been questioned as an everyday eating
item.  Such as the bog people who had certain things in their stomach that
were used for sacrifices IIRC.

Murkial