SC - Deep-fried Turkey? OOP

[Elaine Koogler]

Balthazar:  we already agree as to the unwholesomeness of eating tomato leaves,
we are trying to determine whether people in the 16th Century really believed
that tomato fruit were poisonous, or if that is just another "urban myth" about
history.

So far, we have not found anything solid on paper.  The search continues.

I always attributed that belief to the standard operating procedure of the
English when it came to plants.  They boil and eat the leaves, right?  Only this
time, it's a really, really bad idea.  <urp>  The folks who had travelled to
Mexico, the Spanish and Italians had actually seen the fruit and waited until
the time was right. <yum>

Selene

Chris Stanifer wrote:

> Okay, I'm confused.  Are we trying to determine
> whether people in the MA thought tomatoes were
> poisonous, or whether they are REALLY poisonous?  Or,
> are we looking for extant proof that folks in the MA
> thought they were poisonous?  If I'm not mistaken, Dr.
> Friedman is looking for physical proof (i.e. written
> documentation) that tomatoes were generally thought to
> be poisonous during the middle ages.  I can't supply
> that, myself.  However, with all this discussion, I
> have become very interested in learning the truth.  I
> had always been led to believe that tomatoes were
> originally thought to be poisonous due to their
> relation to the Nightshade family.  If that is
> incorrect, or at best a "wild assumption", then i
> should like to know.