[Sca-cooks] Description of New World Foods 1591

[Terry Decker]

I've seen a historian's critique of this with the caveat to trust only what 
Benzoni says he observed.

Looking at the pages, I note that he references Oviedo in several places. 
This will be Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdez, author of La historia 
general y natural de las Indias, 1526, 1535, 1880 (complete edition, Fuente 
ed.).  He served in the Indies from 1514 to 1523 and was appointed 
historiographer of the Indies on his return to Spain.  He visited the New 
World five more times before his death.  This is a superior chronicle of the 
period and I've only encountered bits and pieces in English translation, 
although there is an English edition from the mid-16th Century.

Bear


----- Original Message ----- 

The Bavarian State Library has added over 1000 volumes of 16th century
works in just the last 6 months or so alone.

I came across this 547 page description of the New World today:

Benzoni, Girolamo / Scherdiger, Abel: Novae novi orbis historiae, das ist
aller Geschichten so in der newen Welt, welche Occidentalis India, das ist
India, nach Abendwerts genent wird und etwa anno 1492 von Christophoro
Columbo gefunden worden ... ; wahrhaffter gründlicher Bericht auß
Hieronymi Benzonis, in welscher Sprache beschriebenen Verzeichnus, welche
Urbanus Calucto ... ins Latein gebracht ..., Helmstadt, 1591

Link to book:
http://bsb-mdz12-spiegel.bsb.lrz.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images//

Which is a description, from what I can tell so far of expeditions in the
New World, and includes notes on native foods and customs.

These pages have some descriptions of new world breads and fruits.  It
includes Maize (with what seems to be tortilla production), alcohol,
plantains, I think pineapples (which the author loved), battatas (which
from the description are sweet potatoes) and other items:

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=178

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=179

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=180

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=181

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=182

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=183

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=184

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00015157/images/index.html?id=00015157&fip=131.252.192.179&no=&seite=185

The index cuts off after "O" but perhaps there are further descriptions of
Peruvians and such.  There is an interesting bit about a "crocodile".
Apparently there were many gators in Florida, and they shot one about 12
or 13 "schuhe" long.  The commentary said the meat was white and tasted
like veal.

I kind of think the foodie part would be fun to translate.

Katherine

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