[Sca-cooks] Herb/Spice synonym list?

[Kirrily Robert]

In lists.sca.sca-cooks, you wrote:
>I have noticed quite a number of different web sites
>with lists of herbs/spices, and synonyms for these
>items in numerous other languages.  Would a searchable
>list of these items/synonyms be useful to us in our
>research?  I'm thinking, in particular, a list into
>which you could enter the name of an "unknown" spice,
>possibly in a foreign language, and retrieve a
>selection of synonyms for that spice/herb.  This might
>help fledgling cooks working from foreign language
>texts, and even experienced translators.
>
>The reason I am suggesting a single list, rather than
>simply checking one of the numerous lists on the
>internet, is that I have noticed not all lists give
>the same information.  Some synonyms are left out on
>one list, while others are included elsewhere.
>
>It would be helpful to me...anyone else?

Sure it'd be helpful, but you might want to put soundex equivalents to
allow for pre-standardised medieval spellings.

(Soundex is a standard algorithm for converting any word to a
four-letter representation that roughly approximates what it would sound
like when pronounced.  It's useful for databases where someone might
type in "cinnamon" and you want to match on "synamun" or something of
similar weirdness.)

K.

--
Kirrily 'Skud' Robert - skud at infotrope.net - http://infotrope.net/
Verbing weirds language -- Calvin