[Sca-cooks] RE: Acorns

[johnna holloway]

Just checked Alan Davidson's Oxford Comp.
to Food. He says most acorns are used for
animal fodder, but that there are varieties
that were eaten in the Mediterranean area.
He gives an ilex (or holm or holly) oak
[Quercus ilex, variation, rotundiforia) as
commonly grown in Spain and Portugal where
acorns are eaten like chestnuts. Don Quixote
apparently mentions the Duchess asking for
acorns to be sent to her. Maybe there are
Spanish recipes for acorns that can be found.

As for North America, Davidson cites a work
by Lowell John Bean and Katherine Saubel
entitled TEMALPAKH. Banning, CA: Malki Museum
Press, 1972 as being definitive on Native
American usage and preparation.

Hope this helps.

Johnnae llyn Lewis Johnna Holloway

> Diamond Randall wrote:
> >SNIPPED----
> > recipe in Euell Gibbons' STALKING THE WILD
> > ASPARAGUS. Gibbons claims that they were a staple food of
> > primitive man in Europe, though he has shown no
> > documentation.  Anyone have any?> Akim Yaroslavich
> --------------------------------------------
> Besides the actual recipe in the 15th century
> Beinecke manuscript (previous message on acorns),
> there are references to acorns in Ann Hagen's
> volumes on Anglo-Saxon foods. They were commonly
> famine foods, so perhaps the extensive literature
> connected with famines would give some idea as to
> when and where for anyone wanting to document
> their consumption. The Beinecke recipe may be the
> only documented actual recipe that can be commonly
> found.
>
> Johnna Holloway Johnnae llyn Lewis