[Sca-cooks] Noty or Notye

[Terry Decker]

> --- lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
>
>> There is a big difference between showing that
>> lemons were used in England in the period in
>> which Middle English was spoken and written and
>> showing that lemons existed in other times and
>> places...
>
>
> True enough.  I'm still trying to track down ship manifests and monastic 
> records of the time, just
> to see if I can find a reference to the lemon or citron in Europe 
> (England).  Another source which
> I haven't hit on yet is information on estate orchards, or even Royal 
> orchards of the time.  This
> may seem like a case of 'backwards documentation', but it is more a 
> curious examination to see if
> lemons were used with any regularity during the time in question.  The 
> lack of documentation in
> recipes of the time is not an indication that the lemon was not widely 
> used.  Merely that it was
> not used in the written recipes we have available.
>
> William de Grandfort

Looking in the OED, the earliest earliest English reference to a lemon is 
from 1400 while the citron shows up in 1530.  This isn't too surprising when 
one considers that "lemon" derives from Iberian origins (and England's 
Spanish ties) while citron was the more common form in other parts of 
Europe.  The common terms were often used interchangably because lemons and 
citron were considered to be the same species.

I wouldn't worry about monastic records or orchard logs.  Lemon trees won't 
grow natively much farther north than Central Italy.  You need to look at 
green houses and very sophisticated gardens if you want to find lemon trees 
in England.  The ship manifests are a good idea and don't forget customs 
records, one of the earliest references to lemons show up in customs records 
from around 1420-21.

That lemon is not widely documented in English recipes before the 16th 
Century, suggests that the lemon may not have been relatively common until 
then.  It is an indication that lemon was not widely used, it is not 
absolute proof of the fact.  That general documentation in England begins in 
1400, it is highly likely that lemons were not in use in England much before 
beginning of the 15th Century, which logically suggests lemons came into use 
during a two hundred year period between 1400 and 1600.  Lemons can not be 
grown in England other than in green houses and green houses of the time 
were too costly to support commercial cultivation, which means the fruit was 
imported and was probably expensive, limiting use to the wealthier segments 
of society.  English sea trade becomes a major factor in the 16th Century, 
but the great thrust of overseas trade begins in 1555 with the Muscovy 
Company.  Considering the historical framework, it is very likely lemons 
would only become inexpensive enough for general use during the last half of 
the 16th Century.  Of course, this is all speculation.

To test this, I would look for market records of English fruit markets. 
Curiously, one of the people involved with the Tudor banana is preparing a 
study of London fruit markets.  I might check with her about the references 
she is using.  I would also scour Hakluyt's Principle Navigations, 
Explorations and Discoveries of the English Nation for references to lemons.

I will agree that lack of evidence is not evidence of lack, but the quantity 
and quality of available references is suggestive about probability.

Bear