[Sca-cooks] musings on nightshade

[Terry Decker]

I think the animosity angle is overblown.  Other than the white potato, the 
plants you name are more easily grown around the Mediterranean than in 
Northern Europe.

Peppers arrived in Spain in 1493 and Columbus certainly had the idea of 
capturing part of the spice trade with them, but no one ever comments on the 
fact that Vasco da Gama's voyage to India cut spice prices by 1/3 less than 
six years later and may have stalled the spread of chilies.  In any event by 
mid-16th Century, they had been adopted by the Turks.

1527 for the tomato with the first written European reference in 1544 
(Matthiolus) expanded in (1554).  Fuchs lists it in 1545.  There was a 
definite humoral bias against the tomato which may have kept it off the 
noble table, but it was being eaten.  Presumably, it didn't arive in England 
until 1596 (as an ornamental) which suggests that the spread northward was 
slow.  There are some early taxonomic changes that may account for animosity 
bias.

White potatoes are just late coming to the party and weren't as appreciated 
as the sweet potato.  They may have arrived as early as 1539.  The first 
reference to them being used in Europe is in Seville in the 1570's.  They 
don't arrive in England until 1586 and Northern Europe until 1587 as 
botanical specimens and most references to them are as botanical specimens. 
As a crop, the earliest adopters appear to be the Irish around the end of 
the 16th Century and it is the Irish that bring the white potato to North 
America in 1719.  There are references to them being planted in various 
parts of Europe in the 17th Century, probably as a hedge against invasion 
and grain failures, but general use isn't documentable until the mid-18th 
Century.  One speculation is the more temperately adapted Chilean potato was 
introduced at that time.

Bear

>
> So my job is dull.  I was thinking about the animosity of Europeans to the 
> New World nightshades (you know, peppers, potatos, tomatos) and realized 
> that the Europeans who first started eating them were also the ones who 
> were eating eggplant.  The only edible Old World nightshade.  Thoughts? 
> Or am I really that bored at work?
>
> Morgana