[Sca-cooks] Gastronomica on Spice Trade, Apicius and Martino

[Johnna Holloway]

The actual article is not really going to expand our knowledge much.
He does state that Chiles were being grown in Italy by 1526
(Historia general y natural de de las Indias by Gonzalo Fernadez de Oviedo
y Valdes) and in Spain by 1564 when L'Ecluse comments on them.
L'Ecluse mentions that Moravia was also growing them.
He mentions a 17th century account that mentions the Spanish 'delight in 
pimento
and guinea pepper and include them in all their sauces.'
That is footnoted as Flandrin. Dietary choices and culinary Technique" 
page 410.

He finds that with the exception of paprika being used in the Balkans
and the initial introduction of the Chile into Spain, Portugal, and to a 
lesser degree
in Southern Italy, the Chile didn't really impact the established spice 
trade because
the Europeans didn't adopt it wholeheartedly. The Indians and Chinese on 
the other hand...

Johnna


Johnna  wrote:
> I don't know that I can summarize it tonight. Been a long day here.
> The primary focus seems to be the question of did the Chile kill
> off the longstanding spice trade and very early on he's refuting
> the 1980 Hyman article from PPC on long pepper.
> He mentions that Columbus discovered it in 1493 and Fuchs
> described and drew it in 1542--
> "But how, where, or when it traveled , or who carried it, remains unknown."
>
> I'll go into more this weekend. Have to be in at the University on Friday.
>
> Johnna
>
> Sue Clemenger wrote:
>   
>> What do they say about the chili? I recently had someone tell me, in all
>> earnestnesss, that Columbus had brought back tomatoes and chili peppers,
>> which apparently means that a creamy tomato soup (with chilis among the
>> seasonings) is thusly period.  Mind you, it was a *very* tasty soup....;o)
>> --Maire
>>   
>>     
>>> The latest issue of Gastronomica 7:2 Spring 2007
>>> features these articles that may be of interest to the list:
>>> The Medieval Spice Trade and the Diffusion of the Chile by Clifford
>>> Wright pp. 35-43 Johnna
>