[Sca-cooks] Food Origins

[Christine Seelye-King]

Ok, I've taken a leap and decided to create a list of foods based on where
they were found in our period.  This gets sticky when talking about
North/South America, Asia/Africa, Middle East/Mediterranean, and so on.  I
have made several categories and placed foods to the best of my (without
checking) knowledge, and based on things posted here recently (including
some comments).  So, I'm posting them here to get comments and make changes
and additions.  I've done this quickly and not double-checked it with Root
or anybody, so don't flame me for stupidity if I've gotten something in the
wrong place!  I'm hoping for a list to be able to hand out to folks that are
confused about which foods they can use and which they can't for SCA period
cooking.
I know I'm missing pretty much all of the varieties of fish and shellfish,
seafood, most of the European bean varieties, etc.etc.etc....
Play on!
Mistress Christianna

New World Foods
North American Foods

American Bison (buffalo)
Beans - Anasazi, Kidney, snap beans, pinto, navy, Great Northern
Black walnuts
Corn (maize)
Green Beans
Maple syrup
Pecan
Pumpkins
Squashes (Curcurbitae)
Sunflower
Turkey
Wild Rice

Western Hemisphere Tropical Foods
Allspice (Pimenta officinalis, Jamaican pepper)
Avocado
Casava
Papaya
Peppers (Capiscums) including paprika, bell and chiles, but not peppercorns
Tapioca
Tomatoes ?(my question here is about the tropics?)

South American Foods
American groundnut (Apios americana)
Brazil nuts
Butternuts ?
Cashews
Chocolate
Guinea pigs
Lima beans
Potatoes, both sweet and white
Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) (Native to South America. The peanut appears to
have been introduced to North America as an import from Africa as part of
the slave trade. (nguba = goober)
Vanilla



World-wide Tropical Foods (some available to Old World pre-Columbus, not
common).
Bananas  (imported into the New World in 1517 from the Canary Islands. They
originate in Asia but were spread into the Near East and Africa by the time
Columbus sailed)
Breadfruit
Coconuts are natural occurring on the Pacific coast of the New World.
Kiwi ?
Mango
Nutmeg
Pineapple
Turtle Meat

Old World Foods
European Foods
Almond
Beans - peas, fava beans,
Beef
Beverages - beer, ale, mead, small beer, cider made from many fruits
including apple, pear, cherry, and berry; wine and spiced wine (‘Hippocras
’).
Water was drunk in some places, but not in others. Whey was drunk after the
cheesemaking was finished.
Cheese types included farmer’s, feta, blue, cheddar, brie, riccotta, and
swiss; curds, butter, soft cheese, and yogurt.
Chestnut
Fish and Seafood
Fruits - Apple, pear, quince, apricot, peach, cherry, grape, raisins,
melons, strawberries, berries, fig, plum, currant, prune
Game animals (squirrel, ferret, stoat, weasel, etc.)
Game birds and chicken
Goat
Grains -  oats, barley, rye, wheat, spelt, millet
Hazelnut
Lamb and Mutton
Milk and all forms of milk products from goat, sheep, and cow.
Pork
Vegetables - Alium family - onions, leeks, shallots, scallions, garlic,
chives;
porrey/ potherbs (cooked greens); endive, mustard, spinach, beets (greens
only), kholrabi, cabbages, kale, chard, rape, celery; fennel; root
vegetables -  radishes, turnips, carrots, parsnips; artichokes; asparagus;
mushrooms; gourds
Venison
Walnuts


Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean Foods
Barley
Broccoli (late period)
Brussel Sprouts
Chickpeas
Dates
Eggplant
Grapes
Lemon
Lentils
Lime
Olives
Pistachio
Pomegranate
Rice ?
Syrups - also known as Jalabs, were made in advance and diluted as needed,
mixed with hot or cold water. Sekanjabin - a syrup made of sugar or honey,
mint, and vinegar, and then diluted in water, comes from a 12th century
Arabic text. Flavored syrups such as violet, tamarind, rosewater syrup.  A
diluted syrup of vinegar, honey and water.

African Foods

Coffee is of African origin and was introduced into the Islamic world before
the discovery of the New World.
Cowpeas (black-eyed peas - from Asia)
Guinea fowl
Orange (sour)
Watermelon
Yams

Asian Foods (available to Old World Cooks)
Cow Peas/Black-eyed peas
Cucumbers
Melons (except Watermelon)
Wax Gourd/Winter Melon (Benincasa)