[Sca-cooks] Medieval thinking

[Terry Decker]

Invasive species is not a Medieval or Renaissance concept.  Plant transfers 
of the period were either edible or ornamental and often were botanical 
specimens.  Accidental transfers might have occurred, but the impact appears 
to have been negligible.  More interesting in the Coloumbian Exchange are 
the local species that were marginalized.  Also we often don't have much 
knowledge of what was being cultivated and sent to market.  Using white 
potatoes as an example, we've been able to demonstrate that they were being 
farmed in the Canaries in mid-16th Century and were exported to Antwerp (and 
probably Spain) but other than an line item in an account book at a hospital 
in Seville, we have no idea of their final use.

The "important people"  heading the household often had their own physicians 
and cooks who saw to their master or mistress's health and gustatory 
pleasure.  Less important people had to make do.  And I seriously doubt that 
anyone who lived in the borderland between eating and starving worried much 
about humors.

Bear


> Actually, I'm not sure why you assume even highly educated individuals 
> would know the ins and outs of humoral theory when doctors and even those 
> writing about it over short periods of time would disagree about various 
> aspects of it. In addition, the application was sufficiently individually 
> tailored that unless a cook received a dietary for each person in a 
> household, it was nearly impossible to properly apply humoral theory 
> without being told you were doing it wrong.
>
> We have period examples of how new foods were integrated into period 
> diets - and it depended greatly on when they came in and how they were 
> introduced. Very few plants came into Europe as "invasive species" as far 
> as we can tell.  Still, this is not a bad thought experiment (at least 
> from an insomniac's point of view),
>
> So, if a food plant came into Europe as an invasive species and was 
> serendipitously discovered, who was most likely to have done so? I think 
> the ones most likely to discover it would be those most in need of it - 
> the poor who are barely managing to scrape by. One is hardly likely to 
> send this edible weed off to one's liege as that would be disrespectful 
> (possibly even thieving) so *you* eat it and send the "real food" to him 
> as your rent when the crops do poorly.
>
> Now, looking at these period examples of how foods were introduced and 
> looking at what we know of humoral theory, what does this tell us about 
> how this new food would be received? Very slowly and with suspicion. As I 
> stated above, this is not something that would be given to a liege as part 
> of the farmer's rent - those rents were clearly laid out in the land 
> lease. In addition, the poor were known to eat acorns and maslun, why 
> would anyone trust their judgment that something was nutritious and/or 
> good-tasting as opposed to something that would fill their stomachs?
>
> Finally, this invasive species is a weed. Unless it proves difficult to 
> grow, it's going to be cheap. Let's be honest. If it's cheap and easy to 
> get, it's never worth the wealthy, upper crust's attention.
>
> Richenda
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