[Sca-cooks] Indian Maize in Italy in period??????

[Elaine Koogler]

Friends,

This just showed up on the Atlantian e-list, the Merry Rose:

If you've been looking for documentation for the use of American Indian  corn 
in Europe during the SCA time period, here is a nice little gem.
Nancy / Ingvild
 

Nancy,
 
    Not "soon after 1500"  but Cosimo de Medici, husband of Eleonora of 
Toledo mentions his "Indian  Maize" crop in an Italian field.  Checked out the 
Medici Archives Project  where I found this:
 
     1548 April  30
    
Date  Uncertain Doc  undated
    .    From: Not Relevant in this  Entry 
Location: Not  Relevant in this Entry .
    To: Not Relevant in this  Entry 
Location: Not  Relevant in this Entry
    Synopsis: Unsigned and undated  note, probably in the hand of 
Lorenzo Pagni,  between two dated drafts of letters from      
Duke Cosimo,  ordering Pierfrancesco Riccio to have   
"Indian" grain  planted in the field below the Vivaio in the     
garden at the Villa  at Castello.
    Extract: [...] Scrivere al Maiordomo  [Pierfrancesco Riccio] che    
faccia sementare il campo  ch'? sotto il vivaio a Castello    
de' grani d'India  
Wanda


Comments???  Could they be using the term "maize" or "Indian Maize" the 
same way other writers used the term, "corn"...i.e., just another 
reference to a kind of flour, but not to what we know as corn?

Kiri