[Sca-cooks] Indian Nut

[Terry Decker]

This is the only site I've found that can seriously tie the coconut into the 
Mediterranean spice trade:

http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/nerc/

http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/mvdv1/research.html

The research is for Quseir, an Egyptian resort town that was a major 
terminus of the spice trade between the 1st and 3rd Centuries and again 
between the 12th and 15th Centuries.

According to the research:

" Several imports have already been identified: pepper, rice, and coconut, 
all originating from India, were found in both Roman and Mamluk deposits 
(for interim reports see Van der Veen (1999e, 2000, 2001c)"

There is no evidence of further transport (as far as I can tell), but the 
evidence does show that coconuts were imported into Egypt during the 
specified period.  This suggests the possibility that coconuts may have been 
exported to Europe, in particular, Italy, during the time of the Anonimo 
Toscano.

Further research on the area is continuing.

Bear