[Sca-cooks] what's a tisana?

[David Walddon]

Although the Vehling translation has errors and the biggest is that the Latin is not next to it the F&R (Flowers and Rosenbaum) also has some major issues and the Latin, while next to the English translation has some transcription errors. 
Best to look at an original Latin and use the MANY different translations (and your own knowledge of food) to get an idea of what is possibly going on. 
Didn't Milham do a translation as well? 
I will see if I can dig up my Ancient Roman materials (I have three or maybe even four translations plus at least one microfilm of the original manuscript). 
I am assuming the number you list below is for the Vehling edition? 
Eduardo 
________________________________________________________

Food is life. May the plenty that graces your table truly be a VAST REPAST. 

David Walddon
david at vastrepast.com
www.vastrepast.com
web.mac.com/dwalddon


On Oct 18, 2010, at 3:28 PM, Terry Decker wrote:

> If cereal is actually called for, it is likely either barley or wheat, the preferred grains of Rome.  Since you are using the Vehling translation, you don't have the original text and my copy of the F&R translation has gone walkabout.  Given the Latin definitions I have, I would say the name of the dish is related to the crushing rather than to the cereal used.
> 
> Bear
> 
> 
>> Okay, then the cereal being used is, what, here?  If this is pre- the time
>> period where tisana refers to barley.....?
>> 
>> On Mon, Oct 18, 2010 at 10:59 AM, Terry Decker <t.d.decker at att.net> wrote:
>> 
>>> The Latin "tisana" derives from the Greek "ptissein" meaning "to crush."
>>> Somewhere between Old French and Middle English, it becomes "ptisane,"
>>> meaning a medical infusion (of which barley water is one such infusion), and
>>> "tisane," referring to "peeled barley" or "barley water."  Apicius is in
>>> Latin from no later than the 5th Century.  Old French dates from the 9th
>>> Century.  The Apician reference is obviously from the earlier Latin usage.
>>> 
>>> Bear
>>> 
>>> 
>>> It appears to be a soup, not a tisane.
>>>> 
>>>> [173] ANOTHER TISANA *TISANA TARICHA *[1]
>>>> 
>>>> THE CEREAL [2] IS SOAKED; CHICKPEAS, LENTILS AND PEAS ARE CRUSHED AND
>>>> BOILED
>>>> WITH IT; WHEN WELL COOKED, ADD PLENTY OF OIL. NOW CUT GREEN HERBS, LEEKS,
>>>> CORIANDER, DILL, FENNEL, BEETS, MALLOWS, CABBAGE STRUNKS, ALL SOFT AND
>>>> GREEN
>>>> AND FINELY CUT, AND PUT IN A POT. THE CABBAGE COOK [separately. Also]
>>>> CRUSH
>>>> FENNEL SEED, ORIGANY, SYLPHIUM AND LOVAGE, AND WHEN CRUSHED, ADD BROTH TO
>>>> TASTE, POUR THIS OVER THE PORRIDGE, STIR IT TOGETHER AND USE SOME FINELY
>>>> CHOPPED CABBAGE STEMS TO SPRINKLE ON TOP [2].
>>>> From
>>>> Apicius
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> Ian of Oertha
> 
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