[Sca-cooks] Interpretation question was: Period? was Tomatoes

[Sandragood at aol.com]

I'm really missing having direct access to the Gerard herbal..;o(  I  will be 
so glad when I can get moved and can get my library back on bookshelves  
instead of in boxes...
 
The Italian source that references the eating of them fried with salt and  
pepper is the one I have been drawing from memory.  I wasn't familiar with  the 
Gerard reference until it was mentioned in posts earlier when this string  
started, but missed the text of his reference if it was posted.
 
Here's an interpretation question for you, because I love redacting and I  
love hearing other points of views.  From what I'm finding online, the  quotes 
from Gerard show two preparations. The first being boiled with salt,  pepper, 
and oil which seams to be simple enough.  The second one, being  "they doe eat 
the Apples with oile, vineger and pepper mixed together for sauce  to their 
meat, euen as we in these cold Countries doe Mustard", requires more  thought.  
 
Would you take this to be a cooked down sauce (more toward a rustic  
ketchup), or something similar to the chopped "stewed" tomatoes with vinegar as  
mentioned, or something more along the lines of a fresh or pickled tomato salsa  
served over the meat?  I think it depends on where you put the  focus.  Do you 
put it on the "mixed together..." or on the "as we do  mustard..."?
 
If you place the focus on the "mixed together" it would appear to be a  salsa 
or "chopped stewed tomatoes".  The second would probably be closer if  you 
focus on the fact that the two sources (Gerard and the Italian) both  show 
"apples" being eaten in a cooked form.  Is there a source that states  they were 
eaten raw?  That would add to the possibilities.
 
If you place the focus on the "as we do mustard" do you take this to mean  
the consistency of the dish? Or, do you take it as a simple statement  that they 
used this preparation on meat as the English used mustard on  their meats?
 
Liz