[Sca-cooks] Raw vs. cooked foods, was: Period food myths

[Volker Bach]

jenne at fiedlerfamily.net schrieb:
>
> > I don't know about how it wqould be served up at
> > feasts, but there is a story from 15th century
> > Italy called il villano smascherato in which a
> > peasant is caught stealing a nobleman's peaches
> > and eating them on the spot. The moral of the
> > story is that 'that kind of food' (it is not
> > entirely clear whether raw fruit or fruit in
> > general) is not for 'that kind of people'. Edited
> > in Rivista di storia dell'agricultura 1967 by G.L.
> > Masetti-Zannini and quoted by M. Montanari in La
> > Fame e l'Abbondanza.
>
> Could it simply have been peaches specifically that were not a food for
> peasants?

As I said, I don't know. But it is clear that the
peasant, at least, ate them raw and was not
repürimanded for doing that, just for stealing
them.

> Two vegetables I recall seeing references that might be to serving raw
> would be cucumbers and radishes; and the other Magdalena sent me
> documentation for raw carrots but I can't find it.

Lettuce (I think) too. See Meister Eberhard

Lattich kelt, vnd der in gesotten isset, dem
macht sie pesser plut dann ander kraut vnd
macht schloffenn, wie man in isset roch oder
gesotenn,
vnd ist gut, dem die sonne we hat gemacht
in seinem haubt oder die enczinndet magenn
habenn.

Lettuce (?) cools and to those who eat it boiled
it makes better blood, and it maskes you sleep,
whether eaten raw or boiled, and it is good to
those whom the sun has caused injury to the head
or who have an inflamed stomach

Giano