[Sca-cooks] Metal Poisoning from the fork

[Susan Lord Williams]

Concerning the fork, I see that Sefan has published previous contributions to this subject as follows:

http://lists.ansteorra.org/pipermail/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org/2007-June/009938.html
http://lists.ansteorra.org/pipermail/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org/2007-June/009922.html
http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-UTENSILS/forks-msg.html

JIMCHEVAL is quite right questioning Alonso Luengo’s source. This author is much more creditable than other Spaniards writing about cuisine but when questioned, their arguments fall like a deck of cards as the give no references. That generation is terribly frustrating as they have this attitude of “if say so it is so because I am the authority” -  I would like to give Alonso Luengo credit but I cannot find a reference in the Bible that I can interpret as prohibiting forks but them I am not a Biblical authority. 

My gut feeling is that there is more evidence in the use of metal/pewter goblets as far as poisoning is concerned.

We do know that Ziryab in the 8th century took the custom of glass or crystal goblets to the Cordovan court - replacing metal goblets. So it seems there was an awareness of metal poisoning.

I was not aware that aqueducts had metal. That is Segovia is still running today and people go to it to fetch drinking water all the time. You would think that if the water contained metal poisoning the water would be banned.