[Sca-cooks] Squash was Re:Helewyse's latest feast

[Terry Decker]

>>One can find other than these of ours (gourds) in Italy those that are 
>>served all the winter, of various sizes, shapes and colors. These new (as 
>>they are called) came from the Indians; some of these, called sea gourds, 
>>have been in Italy for longer. ... The flowers are similar to the lily, 
>>only yellow and much larger.
>
> looks pretty unambiguous to me--yellow flowers. New World squash.
>
> Thanks. Also for the descriptions of how to cook them.
>
> Does this make squash the only New World food for which we have not merely 
> evidence that someone, somewhere in Europe, cooked and ate it before 1600, 
> but evidence that it was a reasonably familiar ingredient with a good deal 
> of information on what was done with it? I don't think tomatoes or 
> potatoes satisfy that--what about Turkey? Capsicums?
> -- 
> David/Cariadoc

Sweet potatoes were well known and widely prepared.  Turkey is a little more 
problematic, but there is a fair amount of evidence that they adopted fairly 
quickly and widely eaten.  The evidence for maize use is mostly from 
Northern Italy and Germany.  Evidence for the use of tomatoes and capsicums 
is limited.

Bear