[Sca-cooks] Any ideas, translation from Libro del coch

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Also sprach Louise Smithson:
>I have a problem.  Just for fun I thought I would have a bash at the
>Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco from
>http://staff-www.uni-marburg.de/~gloning/frati.htm the one that as far
>as I can tell no one has translated.  I am doing about two recipes a
>night.  But this one ingredient has me stumped.  Below is the original
>and my in progress translation.  Based on modern italian the meaning of
>agresta is sharp which in context could be something like verjuice or
>vinegar (aceto in modern italian) based on the latin it could be anise.
>Does anyone else have a better suggestion?

As Johanna suggests, agresto is probably verjuice, especially since
the term is still used in Italy today to describe sour grape juice.

Edda Servi Machlin mentions it in "The Classic Cooking of the Italian Jews"...

Adamantius