[Sca-cooks] Middle Eastern Food

[Terry Decker]

Trager is a bad source to quote without deeper investigation.  He does not
differentiate between fact, suppositions and apocryphal tales.  I generally
use Trager as a starting point for further research.

A quick check of the Penguin Pliny shows no reference to artichokes or
cardoons, however it is an abridged edition and a complete reference may
show something.  Any of the comments about the "cooks Catherine de Medici
brought to France with her" is immediately suspect.  She was from a branch
of the Medicis with reduced fortunes from having been run out of Florence by
civil unrest.  Most of the retinue at her marriage belonged to her Uncle,
the Pope.  And it was not until her Regency for her son that she gained any
real power in France.

I think you may find the Jerusalem atrichoke referenced in Thomas Hariot's A
Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land in Virginia (1588), but not
under that name.

The Flower and Rosenbaum edition of Apicius identifies the artichoke
referenced by the term "Carduus" as being Cynara cardunculus, the cardoon,
although they believe it to be "a species of globe artichoke."

The web site fails to provide particulars about where they got much of their
information, making it difficult to verify their history.  It should be
taken with a grain of salt.

Bear


>In "The Food Chronology" by James Trager he notes that the artichoke is
used
>by the Romans.  He quotes Pliny's "Historia Naturalis".  This is in the 1st
>century.  (p31)   The next mention of the artichoke is in 1533 and I will
>quote here  "Cooks attending Catherine de' Medici introduce to France such
>vegetables as broccoli, globe artichokes ... fonds d'artichauts...." (p91).
>
>As to the Jerusalem Artichoke it seems to be a new world plant.  First
>mention of it is in 1609 when the Virginia colony finds that its' food
stocks
>have run low.  Survivors take on different tasks (ie hunting, fishing and
>gathering) of which they gather "...Jerusalem artichokes and other wild
>plants" (p113).  It is again mentioned in 1616 with the French explorer
>Samuel de Champlain.  He introduces the Jerusalem artichoke to France in
>1616.  At first it is known as the Canadian artichoke, the earth pear etc.
>There is abosolutely no mention of how the Jerusalem artichoke became known
>as the Jerusalem artichoke.
>
>Okay, I have become too curious.
>
>Here is an interesting url that recounts some of the history and nameing of
>the Jerusalem artichoke.  http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch26.html
>
>Also if you check out Apicius there are three recipes using artichokes:
>Artichokes with Fish-pickle dressing (Carduos)
>Artichokes with Hot Herb dressing (Aliter carduos)
>Cumin spiced artichokes (Aliter carduos elixos - steamed artichokes).
>
>Hope this helps and clears up some of the questions surrounding artichokes.
>
>Marina