[Sca-cooks] Plantains: Period for Old World?
Terry Decker
t.d.decker at att.net
Tue Sep 1 13:25:17 PDT 2009
>> 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
Bananas, being a tropical fruit, aren't in Europe in the 1500s. They are
known to Europe, starting with Pliny in the 1st Century, but few people have
ever seen one. While they may have occasionally appeared in Europe prior to
1600, they are extremely perishable and don't travel well without
refrigeration. It wasn't until the 19th Century with steam freighters and,
later, refrigeration, that bananas could make it to market with any
regularity.
You might want to check out bananas in the Florilegium.
Bear
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