[Sca-cooks] Indian Nut

[Susan Fox]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:

> I've got the translation of the 14th century Tuscan cookbook HTML'ed. 
> I've put in a hyperlinked Index and added section headings for ease of 
> use... It's just about ready to go on-line. Vittoria Aureli has done a 
> wonderful job translating, but there are a few things she couldn't 
> find...
>
> One is Indian nut (noci d'India), which is used in only one recipe 
> (number 96). I wonder if anyone has a good idea what it might be in 
> this setting. I doubt it's coconut, but what do i know?


It seems to be coconut according to a somewhat later source:

http://cocos.arecaceae.com/nautical.html

1550 <http://cocos.arecaceae.com/1550.html>
Sao Tome - The same letter that spoke of coconuts in Santiago (Ramusio) 
mentioned sugar production in Sao Tome. It also stated that coconuts had 
been brought there from the coast of Africa: ". . . Vi anno condotto 
dalla costa dell'Etiopia l'albero della palma, che fa il frutto che essi 
chiamano cocco e qui in Italia chiamano noci d'India . . ." At that time 
Ethiopia was any part of Africa beyond Arab influence. If the arguments 
against the direct introduction from East Africa are valid (Harries) 
then the coconuts brought to Sao Tome could only have come from the 
coast at Cape Verde. This is consistent with an ordinance passed by King 
Manuel that allowed traders going to Sao Tome to take on provisions at 
Beziguiche (Blake). The Portuguese base there was the island of Palma 
(the significance of this name in the present context must not be taken 
too literally since a number of towns, islands and promontories have so 
been named). The island was purchased by the Dutch in 1617, captured by 
the French in 1677 and occupied occasionally by the British. Now known 
as Goree island it has become part of the important entrepôt of Dakar. 
This sequence of events has afforded an opportunity for coconuts to be 
taken to Dutch, French and British possessions in Africa and America 
from a source that was not directly controlled by the Portuguese.


Feeling like a nut, Selene