[Sca-cooks] Anonymous Andalucian Cookbook

[David Friedman]

>This has long been a favorite so people might like to know that
>the Anonymous Andalucian Cookbook
>has been lightly re-edited and re-ordered. It is now available here--
>as  a PDF book that is free to download courtesy of Candida Martinelli.
>
>This is the link to the page on the  site about the book: 
>http://italophiles.com/al_andalus.htm 
><http://italophiles.com/al_andalus.htm>

The web site says:
----
This English text is a translation by various persons working 
collaboratively, from a text in Spanish, that was translated by 
another person, from the original Al-Andalus Arabic.  

I have altered the English translation by:

     * editing the translated text,

...
----

That sounds as though she is working from the translation I organized 
long ago of Huici-Miranda's Spanish translation. If that were true 
she would be violating both Huici-Miranda's copyright and the 
copyright of the people who did the translation from Spanish to 
English. I withdrew that version when I realized that a translation 
of a translation counted as a derivative work of the first 
translation, since I was unable to locate and get permission from the 
holder of the copyright on the Spanish translation.

But she goes on to say that "The major part of the Engish translation 
is by Charles Perry, ...  ." Perry was not translating the Spanish; 
he was working from the original Arabic, although with the assistance 
of the translation of the translation. That's why his translation is 
not covered by the copyright of the Spanish translation.

If she has his permission, she is not violating copyright. If she 
doesn't, she is. But if she is working from his translation, then her 
initial description is wrong, since it isn't a translation of the 
Spanish text.

Looking at her site, I have some reservations on the information 
provided. She includes curry among the spices used in period spice 
mixtures. Curry is a spice mixture, not a spice. There are curry 
leaves, but so far as I know they aren't used in period European or 
north African cooking. And she refers to "today's Allspice Mix," 
which suggests that she doesn't realize that allspice is the name of 
a (New World) spice, not a mix.

She says that "Only Maestro Martino's book comes from a time that was 
late enough to have some of the new ingredients, " (i.e. New World). 
But Martino is earlier than Platina, who is earlier than 1492.

She thinks that tomatoes " at first they were thought to be 
poisonous, because tomato plant leaves are toxic."

All of which suggests that any information she has added to Perry's 
translation and notes ought not to be taken as authoritative.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com