[Sca-cooks] Period substitute for tomatoes?

[Terry Decker]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judith Epstein" <judith at ipstenu.org>


>
> On Aug 21, 2009, at 12:25 PM, chawkswrth at aol.com wrote:
>
>>
>> Wait a minute-are you saying that Fried Green Tomatos?could be 
>> considered?Period?
>>
>> The reason I say that, Ripe tomatos are too watery to fry up. Only  the 
>> green ones have the firmness one needs to lats through the  frying 
>> process.
>
> Yes, barely! But they would probably not be fried with cornmeal  coating 
> the way they are today. Maybe rice flour, though, or millet  flour.

To my knowledge, there is no evidence for fried green tomatoes within 
period, or even close.  If you have evidence of the practice, I'd love to 
see it.

IIRC, none of the earliest descriptions of preparing tomaotes says anything 
about flouring them.  The earliest recipe I have for frying floured tomatoes 
is from 1879 and says to use firm tomatoes and not one thing about their 
color.

Maize is being used in Europe earlier than tomatoes, so, if tomatoes are 
floured and fried, maize is a possible source.

Bear