[Sca-cooks] meats pizziola

[Terry Decker]

I'd really like to see this recipe and the supporting documentation, so if 
you find it, please post.

A generally accepted date for tomatoes in Europe is 1527, coinciding with 
the first returns from Cortez's conquest of the Aztecs.  And the first 
appearance of the tomato in print is in the 1544 Herbal of Petrus Andreas 
Matthiolus, so I seriously question anything earlier.  Castore Durante 
mentions a method of preparation in his Herbal of 1584 as does Gerard 
(1596).  Joesph de Acosta comments on their use in sauces in the New World 
in 1590.  But the first actual recipe I know of appears in a cookbook from 
1692/4.

Gerard's comment:
"Poma Amoris. Apples of Loue.
...In Spaine and those hot Regions they vse to eat the Apples prepared and 
boiled with pepper, salt, and oile: but they yeeld very little nourishment 
to the bodie, and the same nought and corrupt. Likewise they doe eat the 
Apples with oile, vineger and pepper mixed together for sauce to their 
meate, euen as we in these cold Countries doe Mustard."

Durante's comments:

"They are eaten in the same way as eggplants, with pepper, salt and oil, but 
give little and bad nourishment."

And for the 17th Century recipe:

Tomato sauce, Spanish style

"Take half a dozen tomatoes that are ripe, and put them to roast in the 
embers, and when they are scorched, remove the skin diligently, and mince 
them fine with a knife. Add onions, minced finely, to discretion; hot chili 
peppers, also minced finely; and thyme in a small amount. After mixing 
everything together, adjust it with a little salt, oil and vinegar. It is a 
very tasty sauce, both for boiled dishes or anything else."

Antonio Latini, Lo scalco alla moderna, 1692/4



Thank Rudolf Grewe for this last one.



Bear





> OK.  About 6 months ago, someone on this list sent me documentation for a 
> period recipe for stewed tomatoes.  If memory serves, it was about 1500, 
> Italian.  (I can dig the info up if necessary.)  We are spending a lot of 
> time here saying this pizziola-thing didn't happen.  I can accept that, 
> but on a more positive note, what did the late period Italians (or 
> whomever, considering I don't believe Gerard was Italian) do with their 
> stewed tomatoes?
>
> Samrah