[Sca-cooks] Plantains: Period for Old World?

[Judith Epstein]

On Sep 1, 2009, at 1:52 PM, otsisto wrote:

> http://tinyurl.com/m2oj4k
>
> The Koran called this the "Tree of Paradise," so Linnaeus named one  
> form Musa paradisiaca, and Pliny the Elder noted how the sages in  
> India ate this fruit, "the plant of the wise," hence the other  
> Linnean name Musa sapientum."

Also, I'm confused. You point out that "bananas are old world in the  
late 1500s," while also citing their mention in the Qur'an, which  
dates from... 610-632 CE, and that they were also known to Pliny the  
Elder, who lived and died in the 1st century CE. Did you mean bananas  
are Period *to Europe* as of the late 1500s? If so, then probably  
you're right. I'm sort of bad with knowing about the Europe of Period,  
so I'm very happy to accept the word of anyone who sounds confident in  
what they're saying. ;)

Judith / no SCA name yet