[Sca-cooks] Them Peanutses

[Philip & Susan Troy]

tgl at mailer.uni-marburg.de wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I am currently unsubscribed, for several reasons. In a moment of
> nostalgy I flipped through the archives in order to look if there was
> something new to me and came upon the erdnuss/peanuts-thread. I thought
> I should say a word here.
>
>
> David said to Giano re: erdnuss/peanuts:
>
>
>>>How sure are you these are really peanuts?
>>>
>
> I am not "Giano", but I am pretty sure the "Erdnuss"-recipes in De
> Rontzier (1598) are _not_ peanut recipes.
>
>
>>>Have you checked whatever the German equivalent is of the OED?
>>>
>
> I am not "Giano", but I checked the 'Deutsches Wörterbuch' of the Grimm
> brothers (32 vols.; the German equivalent of the OED), Hermann Paul's
> historical dictionary of German & the Kluge etymological dicionary in
> newer editions, and the Pfeifer etymological dictionary in a first step.
> Roughly, they say:
>
> -- the German expression "erdnuss" was used as early as in Old High
> German (9th/10th century).
>
> -- the modern usage/ sense 'peanut' is only found in German texts from
> the 18th century onwards.
>
> -- Before the 18th century, the term "erdnuss" was used for several
> kinds of "Knollengewächse", among them the "Platterbse" (Lathyrus
> tuberosus). Marzell's 'Wörterbuch der deutschen Pflanzennamen'
> (dictionary of German plant names) lists a few more.
>
> Then, Giano said:
>
>
>>my etymological dictionary puts 'Erdnuss' into the
>>late 16rth century and relates it exclusively to
>>what is today called by that name. Wouldn't be the
>>first time for linguists to get it wrong ...
>>
>
> Hm, hm, hm. Very strange. -- Before we go any further: could you please
> name author, title and publishing information of your sources? I.e.: of
> your dictionary and of the source where you got the translated recipes
> from?
>
> For your convenience, here are the German recipes from De Rontzier 1598,
> page 537 and 538:
>
> Von Erdnu:essen.
>
> JTem/ man seud sie ein virtelstundt
> in Wasser/ gibt sie darnach mit Saltz vnnd
> Pfeffer zu tisch.
>
> 2. Wenn sie gahr sein schelt man sie/ macht sie in
> einem kleinen Topffe ab mit Buttern/ Pfeffer vnnd
> Wein/ etc.
>
> 3. Jtem/ mit kleinen Rosin/ Buttern/ Pfeffer vnd
> Muscaten.
>
> 4. Man bratet sie in Buttern/ wenn man sie wil
> zu tisch geben gibt man Pommerantzensafft/ Saltz
> vnd Pfeffer daru:eber/ etc.

These almost sound like some kind of tuber, maybe the rooty thing the
English call galingale, and the French souchet.


Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98