[Sca-cooks]Lemons not Noty or Notye

[Johnna Holloway]

Having made citrus fruits sort of a study of mine (the book is over
200 plus pages now and will probably be over 300 in its next version)
I can post some of my findings---
"Other citrus fruits that might be candied include lemons or Citrus 
limon of both the thick and thin skinned varieties. They reached China 
by 1900 BC. The Chinese called them limung and medieval and Renaissance 
recipes echo that name when they speak about limons and limao. 
Confusingly many times when a later recipe calls for citron, the cook 
may have meant lemons. OED includes this quotation: 1555 Eden Decades W. 
Ind. ii. ix. (Arb.) 131 “The kynde of citrons which are commonly cauled 
limones.” Page 45.

"Thomas Dawson in The Good Huswife’s Jewell includes a list of “The 
Names Of All things necessary for a banquet.” Among the items Dawson 
included were “Orenges, Lemons, and Sweete Orenges”. ...Gervase Markham 
in The English Housewife writes about the ‘preserves, conserves, candies 
and pastes consisted the whole art of banqueting dishes.’ In addition to 
the Citrus fruits that were so treated in preserves and conserves, 
Markham mentioned that you might serve “oranges and lemons sliced, and 
then wafers.” The professional cook Robert May in The Accomplisht Cook 
seems to freely decorate many of his made dishes with thinly sliced 
oranges and lemons. " Page 65

You start seeing lemon recipes in English cookbooks in numbers
in the later 16th century. Using Doc's handy search engine, you
get lots of hits for A NEVV BOOKE of Cookerie which is the John Murrell
edition from the 17th century.
http://www.medievalcookery.com/search.shtm

Hope this helps--

Johnnae llyn Lewis, authoress


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