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

[Terry Decker]

>> 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