[Sca-cooks] suggestions

Terry Decker t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Fri May 19 05:50:20 PDT 2006


"Potatoes of Virginia" is from Gerard and he received those in 1586.  The 
problem is there were no potatoes (sweet or white) in Virginia at the time. 
Either Gerard is describing a tuberous plant that is not Solanum tuberosum 
or the potatoes were from the provisions taken at Cartagena by Sir Francis 
Drake (Drake's returning fleet brought the original Virginia colony back to 
England).  It is believed that Drake encountered white potatoes in Chile in 
his circumnavigation of the world and would have recognized them as food.

Considering his entry on sweet potatoes, it is obvious Gerard knew the 
difference:

"Sisarum Peruvianum, siue Batata Hispanorum. Potato's.
The Potato roots are among the Spaniards, Italians, Indians, and many other 
nations common and ordinarie meate; which no doubt are of mighty and 
nourishing parts... being tosted in the embers they lose much of their 
windinesse, especially being eaten sopped in wine.
Of these roots may be made conserues no lesse toothsome, wholesome, and 
dainty than of the flesh of Quinces: and likewise those comfortable and 
delicate meats called in shops Morselli, Placentulae, and diuers other such 
like.
These Roots may serue as a ground or foundation whereon the cunning 
Confectioner or Sugar-Baker may worke and frame many comfortable delicate 
Conserues, and restoratiue sweete meates.
They are vsed to be eaten rosted in the ashes. Some when they be so rosted 
infuse them and sop them in Wine; and others to giue them the greater grace 
in eating, do boyle them with prunes, and so eate them. And likewise others 
dresse them (being first rosted) with Oyle, Vineger, and salt, euerie man 
according to his owne taste and liking. Notwithstanding howsoeuer they bee 
dressed, they comfort, nourish, and strengthen the body, procuring bodily 
lust, and that with greedinesse."


Other than Gerard's samples, most of the botanical samples of Solanum 
tuberosum in Northern Europe appear to derive from samples originally 
presented to the Pope from Spain and grown in the Vatican gardens.  There is 
also a high probability that other samples were imported into Italy from 
Spain and grown there.  The plant was commonly christened "taratouphli" 
because the small tubers resembled truffles.

In German, taratouphli became die Kartoffel, while the sweet potato is die 
Batata.  BTW, batata is Taino for sweet potato and its use is a direct 
derivation via Spain.

Other than the webbed entry for potatoes from The Cambridge World History of 
Food, I have yet to see a site that is both thorough and accurate when 
discussing potatoes.  The fact is the information on a great many websites 
has been plagarized from easy to find sources by people unwilling to do 
basic research, the errors and opinions propagate and are accepted as fact. 
For example, I encountered a number of sources that state that Jiminez 
Gonzalo de Quesada discovered white potatoes.  The reality is that de 
Quesada was the leader of an expedition into Ecuador and the founder of 
modern Quito and his expedition was the first into the original potato 
growing regions of the Andes.  This discounts the fact that there were two 
other expeditions in the area at the same time or the possibility that 
Pizzaro might have encountered potatoes slightly earlier.

I've been chasing information on potatoes for a number of years and I keep 
finding enough references that I need to revise my SCA lecture on potatoes 
every year or two.

Bear

> Most of what I can read of taratouphli online is that one or two sites say
> it was the Virginian Potato. Is that the sweet potato?
> Lyse
>
> -----Original Message-----
> In general, sweet potatoes (also called the common potato or the Spanish
> potato) were more common in late period cooking.
>
> Bear





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