[Sca-cooks] Corn Bread

[tgl at mailer.uni-marburg.de]

There is a chapter on corn/maize in the herbal of Hieronymus Bock 1539,
later ed. 1570. He says that it is used to make bread:

   "...gibt guot schön weiß mäl/ vnd süß Brot" (fol. 223, 1570 edition)

There is also a chapter on corn/maize in the herbal of Leonhard Fuchs
1543. He says: that the plant was imported from Turkey, that it easily
grew in Germany, that the plant was quite common in his time, that it
was grown in many gardens AND that corn/maize was used to bake bread:

   "Dise korn seind erstlich ... auß der Turckey in vnnser land
    bracht worden. Bekommen gern/ darumb sie nun fast gemein seind/
    vnd in vilen gärten gezilt werden. (...) Man macht aber auß disem
    korn über die massen schön weiß meel/ vnd becht darnach brodt
    darauß/ das macht leichtlich verstopffung"
    L. Fuchs: New Kreüterbuoch, Basel 1543, chap. CCCXX

Castore Durante in his Italian herbal 1585 mentions three culinary uses
among other things: Pane, polenta, torta

   "Fa la farina bianca, della quale si fa bel pane, la sostanza del
    quale è più grossa, & pi` viscosa del nostro. ... Fanno di questa
    farina i contadini le polente, & le torte aggiuntoui butiro,
    & formaggio, & è cibo non insuaue: ma genera grosso nudrimento".
    C. Durante p. 217f.)

<< Someone on our Kingdom list is arguing that old line: if they had
ingredient X in period, they must have had cooked dish Y. In this
case, the discussion is centering around ... Cornbread >>

>From a logical point of view, the conclusion "there was cornbread in
Europe prior to 1600" does not necessarily follow from the premise
"there was corn/maize in Europe prior to 1600".

Nevertheless, as far as I can say, both statements
-- "there was corn/maize in Europe eaten by humans prior to 1600"
-- "there was cornbread in Europe eaten by humans prior to 1600"
are true statements.

Th.