[Sca-cooks] leechees

[Craig Jones]

Yes they are for Yuan China, probably for Tang and Ming, but I don't
have any direct evidence.  They are mentioned in Yin-shan cheng-yao
(1330 - Proper and Essential Things for the Emperor's Food and Drink by
Hu Szi-hui).  The manuscript is best viewed in Paul Buell's A Soup for
the Qan.

There is an illustration of a Lichee (Nephelium litchi) with the text: "
Lichee fruits are sweetish in flavour, neutral, and lack poison. They
stop thirst and produce juices.  They increase a persons' facial glow
(Buell, ASFTQ, p570).  Paul Buell identifies Lichee as Nephelium litchi
(Nepheliums are related) rather than Litchi chinensis.  I'm not sure if
it's because of just confusion with taxonomic names or a more serious
issue.

There's only one eastern recipe that I know of for Lichee which is also
from the same manuscript which is called 'Lichee Paste' but the irony of
the recipe is that it seems not to contain any Lichee at all...

No evidence that I know of that they made it to Europe.  They need
sub-tropical conditions and elevation to grow properly I think and
anymore that 1-2 frosts a year (-1degC) will kill them. I haven't come
across Lichees in any of the Western European herbals but I must admit I
haven't been specifically looking for Lichees.

Does that help?

Drakey - who would be enjoying a day off work gardening if it wasn't
raining so darn hard...  

Ps.  No more drakey accident stories, but is hiring a back-hoe next week
to prepare some garden beds... Be afraid...
 
> Someone on the medieval gardening list was asking if leechees were
period.
> They found a recipe for a fruit salad in a British cookbook, probably
not
> period.  Since I know there are many of you who would probably know
this
> off the top of your head, I thought I would pop the question here.  I
know
> leechees are an Asian thing, presumably of Chinese or Pacific Rim type
> origin, but did they make it over to Europe in period?