SC - Poisonous Tomatoes?
harper at idt.net
harper at idt.net
Sun Nov 26 07:01:03 PST 2000
This seems like a good time to repost the quote I found about
tomato salsa....
I was looking at a text in the Virtual Cervantes library, a
history of the exploration of Mexico and Central America by
Francisco Cervantes de Salazar.
"Cronica de la Nueva España" (Chronicle of New Spain), written in
1554.
http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/45201728150540
4212638516/index.htm
He says, in the chapter on plants of the New World:
"El agí sirve de especia en estas partes; es caliente, ayuda a la
digestión y a la cámara; es apetitoso, y de manera que los más
guisados y salsas se hacen con él; usan dél no menos los
españoles que los indios. Hay unos agíes colorados y otros
amarillos; éstos son los maduros, porque los que no lo son, están
verdes, hay unos que queman más que otros. Los tomates son
mayores que agraces; tienen su sabor, aunque no tan agrio; hay
unos del tamaño que dixe, y otros grandes, mayores que limas,
amarillos y colorados; échanse en las salsas y potajes para
templar el calor del agí."
My translation:
"The chile serves as spice in these regions; it is hot, aids the
digestion, and the evacuation of stool; it is appetizing, and in such
a manner that most of the stews and sauces are made with it; the
Spaniards use it no less than the Indians. There are some red
chiles, and others which are yellow; these are the mature ones, for
those which are not [mature] are green, there are some which burn
more than the others. The tomatoes are bigger than unripe grapes,
they have their [same] flavor, although not as sour; there are some
which are the size I said, and others that are big, larger than limes,
yellow ones and red ones; they cast them in the sauces and
pottages to temper the heat of the chile."
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net
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