[Sca-cooks] Pomegranate seeds

[Johnna Holloway]

So what did they add to a dish?

The 1572 Huloets dictionarie newelye corrected says:

Kernell. Granum, ni. Grain. S. Vt punica grana. The kernelles of a  
pomegranate. Les grains d' vne granade. S. Et Granellum. Ang. A litle  
kernell.

  Pomegranate. Apyrina. plur. Malum punicū, Ma|lum granatum. Pomme de  
granade. H.

¶The pomegranate rynde whiche couereth it about. Malicorium, Corium  
cortexué punici mali. L'escoree d'vn granad. ye flower. Citinus, Flos  
mali satiuae punicae, & Balaustium, siluestris punicae flos. Le fleur  
d' vn granadier. the grayne. Acinus, vel semen.

Le grain de la pomme granade. ye little skynne wherein the grayne is  
closed. Tunica acini, vel folliculus. La cote du grain. the Kernells.  
Acinorū nuclei, Semina, Vinacea. Les pepins. And ye smale skynne that  
deuideth the graines in the pomegranate. Cicus, vel cicum, vel ciccum,  
Membrana tenuis acinos in malo pu?nico discriminans. H.

-------

I checked the dietary advice offered in 1599 by Henry Buttes.
In Dyets dry dinner consisting of eight seuerall courses,  he writes:
  Pomegranats.

Choise. SWéete: ripe: big: with great kernels: whose rinde comes  
easily off: the sharpe full of iuyce

Vse. The swéete, excite Venus: good for the stomacke, brest, cough:  
the sharpe, for hot liuers and agues.

Hurt. The swéet bréed wind and heat, naught in feuers: the sharp  
offend the teeth and gummes; constrains(?) the brest; naught for old  
folkes.

Correcti|on. Eate the kernelles of both together.

Degree. The swéete are temperatly hot and moyst: the sower colde, and  
somewhat binding.

Season. Age. Constitu|tion. The swéet in winter, for all: she sharpe  
in sommer for youth, and chollerists.
----
  I did come across a note indicating Karen Hess thought barberries  
were used as a substitute for the pomegranate.

Johnnae



On Feb 26, 2010, at 8:43 AM, I asked earlier :
I suppose the question is what did the pomegranate add to the dish?
>
>
> A number of the dishes call for being colored first (coloure it with  
> Alkenade) so maybe the purpose of the flourishing was just to add
> a few bits of color. How many of these recipes after all call for  
> that final strew it with spice powders or sugar and serve forth?
>
> Johnnae