[Sca-cooks] allspice

[Terry]

On 5/19/2019 4:16 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> On May 17, 2019, at 11:42 PM, Terry <t.d.decker at att.net> wrote:
>> Sweet spices commonly refers to cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and mace with cloves sometimes in the mix.  Allspice can be included, but it arrives only on the first voyage of Columbus.
> What is the evidence for this? This is the first I've heard of it in Europe this early.

We can argue as to whether it was Columbus's first or second voyage, but 
(IIRC) you will find a reference to "pimienta" or "pimiento" (pepper) in 
the Diario.  Allspice resembles cubebs or black peppercorns and Columbus 
was unfamiliar with Piper nigrum or Piper cubeba on the tree.


Allspice is indigenous to Mexico, Central America and the Greater 
Antilles.  It has a strong presence in Jamaica, which Columbus visited 
on his second voyage.  Credit is usually given to Diego Alvarez Chance, 
the 2nd expedition's physician, for naming the plant (although the 1600 
date in some sources is way off).  I haven't been able to locate the 
actual reference.  It does not appear in Chanca's letter to the town 
council of Seville, although the letter does note capsicum peppers.  
There may be a reference in Peter Martyr's De Orbe Novo, but I don't 
have a translation to hand.

>
>> The term "allspice" first appears in English in the first quarter of the 17th Century, so it was likely being used in the late 16th Century, but I've never seen a reference that can be definitively stated to be allspice.
> Was it known by something other than "allspice" originally?

Most likely pimienta dulce or pimienta de Jamaica originally. Gernot 
Katzer has a rather extensive commentary on the Spanish nomenclature on 
his Spice Pages.


The first reference to allspice in English is in Richard Burton's The 
Anatomy of Melancholy (1621).  Prior to the term allspice, the English 
would likely have used pimento or Jamaica pepper.


> This is one spice I often use in my New Word/Old World food game, because many people, as I did, think allspice is  a mixture of spices. So, I show them the whole allspice nut.
>
> Stefan
>
> PS: Working on getting the Florilegium up at florilegium-test.org <http://florilegium-test.org/> . Problems have to do with frames.
> --------
> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>     Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at gmail.com
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
> **** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****


I look forward to a resurrected Florilegium.


Bear