[Sca-cooks] sugar of A. was question...

[johnna holloway]

I found this question when I signed on a moment ago.

 Master A and Bear are probably right--

OED says--the place of origin or manufacture, as

sugar of Alisaunder (= Alexandria)

however farther down in the entry one finds

the plant from which it is made

OED then lists this quotation

1430 Two Cookery-bks. 50 Caste a-bouyn Sugre of *Alysaundre

This would be earlier than the 16th century or the
Elizabethans.

Both the words Alisaunder and Alysaundre are used
in Harleian MS. 279. I would think that both mean
Alexandria. Perhaps Cindy can offer an opinion as
glossaries and words from the various Harleians MS.  are her
passion.

Johnnae llyn Lewis  Johnna Holloway


> >Also sprach Robyn.Hodgkin at affa.gov.au:
> >>Could anyone enlighten me as to what sugre of Alysaundre is?  Sugar
> >>of something obviously, but what?
> >>> >>Kiriel
-----------------
> >Alexandria? As opposed to sugre de Cyprus, for example?
> >> >Adamantius
------------
> This is a pretty good bet, especially if the recipe is Elizabethean.  Sugar
> was grown in the Nile delta.  Alexandria was the major Mediterranean trade
> port in Egypt.  And there appears to have been an extensive sugar trade
> between Islam and England after Henry VIII's Act of Supremecy closed off
> European sugar sources.
> > Bear