[Sca-cooks] Le Menegier on carrots, Does anyone have documentation on Egyptian carrots

[Terry Decker]

While carrots are grown in modern Egypt, historical references are few and 
far between and likely to be very questionable.  John has probably covered 
that far more thoroughly than I.  What I'm looking for now are references to 
carrot seeds from archeobotanical reports, but there isn't much readily 
available.  I haven't had time yet to peruse the current research of The 
Oriental Institute in Chicago.  I've been chasing references to various 
foodstuffs in Hakluyt.

It also occurs to me that cultivated carrots may not have come to Egypt 
until the Islamic expansion and that the limited rainfall might not support 
wild carrots.  If the latter is true, then it might be possible to determine 
the southernmost extent of the wild carrot by examining the paleobotany of 
Neolithic sites in the Levant.  Not a task I plan to tackle anytime soon.

Bear

>I forwarded Adamantius' reply about carrots in Menagier to John at the 
>Carrot Museum and here is his reply. He's also wanting to know if  anyone 
>has documentation on carrots in ancient Egypt. Bear?
>
> Again, his site has a lot of info on carrots. A lot that I haven't  seen 
> discussed here on this list.
> http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/
>
> I'm pretty sure he'd appreciate any comments about the site or  additional 
> info on carrots.
>
> Stefan