[Sca-cooks] Is Rhubarb period for Europe? or not?

[Terry Decker]

> Now we have established that rhubarb is a native of China, was taken to 
> the Volga River where it picked up its name. Then it spread to Greece and 
> Levant (Italy). During Arab occupation of Spain it grew wild in the Sierra 
> Nevada outside Granada and used not only for consumption but also for 
> decorative gardens. Usually, the roots and seeds were brought in medical 
> form as purgatives and subsequently as astringents. They were thought good 
> for the humors. Further, the roots served as a medicine for cathartics. 
> The juice from them relieved swollen gums. Stewed, in small doses, it has 
> been given to children as a laxative. The edible leaves became a common 
> vegetable in Spain at least. They were eaten also as a fruit. The leaves 
> were stewed or baked in pies and added to sauces. In Andalusia rhubarb 
> became an ingredient in recipes originating from Persia. The Bagdad 
> Cookery Book calls for the juice extracted from the stalks to flavor meat. 
> The Wusla il.a Al-Habib uses it as a vegetable serving it with chicken and 
> meat in general. Perry indicates that the stems were macerated in those 
> cases. Too, rhubarb was added to syrups, compotes, pastries and comfits 
> and made into candy. The 13^th C Anon MSS calls for rhubarb in a "Great 
> Drink of Roots" and in a "Cheering Syrup". The Archpriest of Hita mentions 
> eating rhubarb with goat liver for lunch. Villena in the beginning of the 
> 15th C provides instructions on how to carve it.
> Suey


Actually, what we have are a list of references to plants identified as 
rhubarb.  Since there are some 18 species of rhubarb and at least another 8 
unrelated plants that are called rhubarb, we don't necessarily know 
precisely what plants are being referenced..  As roots, seeds, leaves and 
stems are mentioned as being used in different sources and since, to my 
knowledge, no species of rhubarb is used in its entirety, I think the 
references are probably to several different species and possible some 
unrelated plants.  That also makes the idea of China to the Volga to Greece 
and the Levant suspect.

Bear