[Sca-cooks] Seeking Costus...

[Craig Jones]

>
> We have an excellent spice shop in town, called "Lhasa Karnak", which
> carries lots of seasoning and medicinal herbs and spices, but they
> don't have it - heck, for reasons i don't know, they don't carry long
> pepper - i have to get it at, of all places, "Whole Foods".
>
> I did a web search, but didn't turn up anyone selling it. Has anyone
> come across it for sale?

You might try and see if this is the same thing as alecost or  
costmary, often used as a bittering agent by brewers when making  
unhopped ales.

http://books.google.com/books?id=TNxiHDi51n8C&pg=PA368&lpg=PA368&dq=costmary
+costus+costum&source=web&ots=OOXoQO5tNz&sig=nNMmKfzxacRq1irMB0CqTGNjMuk

Whereas I was under the impression that Costus/Costum was Cistus Ladanifer,
Rock Rose. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_rose.  It's mentioned in Dembrenska. I
just walked in from the door after spending a month in Europe and am Jet
lagged, so more later...

Cheers,

Drake.