[Sca-cooks] Mahlepi

[Robyn.Hodgkin at affa.gov.au]

I recently found Mahlepi at a local food supplier.  I couldn't resist buying a small packet because of the lovely scent that it has, even though I had no idea what I would use it for.  Doing a brief serch on the web I have found many references to it, including:

"Mahlepi is an unusual Greek spice with a distinctive, fruity taste. The finely ground mahlepi powder is made from the inner kernels of fruit pits of a native Persian cherry tree."

In an historical context I found "Since the biginning of recorded trading, exotic spices of the East, among them <snip> mahlepi, were brought by Arab caravans to spice bazaars in Constantinople and Alexandria, and then to the ancient Greek cities."

I am just curious as to if there are any medieval/renaissance recipes using this spice around, as I haven't noticed any. Mind you, I am concentrating on my period (16th C) central europe.

Kiriel