[Sca-cooks] cookbook - need some help

Cassandra Baldassano euriol at ptd.net
Fri Nov 9 10:24:37 PST 2007


I think that there is often the difference in how words have evolved in
meanings over the centuries. What may have been translated into squash or
pumpkin may originally indicated a gourd. This is strictly all my own
opinion. Now it seems that squashes & melons are all categorized in the
"Gourd" family biologically.  It reminds me that "corn" used to describe any
kernel of grain, unlike in modern day where it refers to the kernel of
maize.

There is evidence of Melons & Cucumbers dating back to ancient Egypt. There
is a recipe in Apicius for a cucumber salad. Melons & Cucumbers are Old
World in origin.

That what we know as squashes today (most likely yellow flowered squashes)
are New World and evidence of these are found in ancient Latin America.

There is an interesting article on
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Cucurbita/in
dex.html

That goes into more detail on the origins of the various species in the
Gourd family. Yet it does not get into when the New World Gourds were
introduced into Europe.

Euriol

Euriol of Lothian, OP
Minister of Arts & Sciences, Barony of Endless Hills
Clerk, Order of the Pelican, Kingdom of Æthelmearc

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was
service. I acted and behold, service was joy."
-Robindranath Tagore, Poet/Playwright/Essayist 1913 Nobel Prize for
Literature

-----Original Message-----
From: sca-cooks-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:sca-cooks-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Ian Rocas
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 1:05 PM
To: Cooks within the SCA
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cookbook - need some help


I was recently perusing an on-line version of "The Medieval Kitchen" and I
noticed several recipies that involved squash an pumpkin.  I had always
thought that squash was a new world food that did not reach Europe before
the Renaisance.  Was I wrong about that?

Rocas

> To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 11:02:10 -0500
> From: silverr0se at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cookbook - need some help
> 
> 
> "The Medieval Kitchen" is one of my favorites. I don't remember the
authors' names, tho.
> 
> 
> 
> Terrence Scully's "Early French Cookery" is a good one, too.
> 
> Renata
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: travellingrrl <travellingrrl at bonbon.net>
> To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> Sent: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 7:35 am
> Subject: [Sca-cooks] cookbook - need some help
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I need some help finding a good historical cookbook. I got a nice
> amazon UK gift certificate for 30 UK Pound, so I finally want to buy
> some decent historical cookbooks.
> 
> I'm looking for pre-renaissance information, both recipes as
> explanations/original sources. Anybody here who has suggestions?
> 
> thx
> 
> lina
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