Sil, See Seselis
SILIGO, winter wheat, very hard wheat
SILIQUA, shell, pod, husk
SILPHIUM, SYLPHIUM, same as LASERPITIUM, which see, ℞ 32
SILURUS, supposed to be the river fish sly silurus, or sheat-fish, also called the horn-pout, or catfish, ℞ 426
SIMILA, —AGO, fine wheat flour
SINAPIS, mustard
“Singe,” ℞ 55
SION, —UM, plant growing in the marshes or on meadows, water-parsnip
SITULA, hot water kettle
Skate, ℞ 403-4
Slang in ancient text, p. 19
Slaughter, cruel methods of, ℞ 259, 260
Slaves grinding flour, illustration, p. 60
Sloe, see PRUNUM
Smelts, ℞ 138-39
SMYRNION, —UM, a kind of herb, common Alexander
Snails, ℞ 323-5
Soda, use of —— to keep vegetables green, ℞ 66
Soft cabbage, ℞ 103-6
SOLEA, flat fish, the sole, ℞ 154, 487; SOLEARUM PATINA, ibid.
SORBITIO, from SORBEO, supping up, sipping, drinking, drought; any liquid food that may be sipped, a drink, a potion, a broth, a sherbet, Fr. SORBET
Sorrel, ℞ 26
Sour Dock, ℞ 26
Soups, ℞ 178, seq.
Sow’s womb, matrix, udder, belly, ℞ 59, 172, 251-8
Soyer, Alexis, chef, 35
Sparrow, see PASSER
Spätzli, ℞ 247
Spelt, ℞ 58-9
Spengler, O., writer, p. 17
SPICA, a “spike,” ear of corn, top of plants, the plant spikenard, SPICA NARDI
Spiced Fruit, ℞ 177
Spices, Summary of, pp. 234-5; spicing, ancient and modern, ℞ 15, 276-77, 385, seq.
Spoiling, to prevent food from—see Book I, and Preserving, to prevent birds from spoiling, ℞ 229-30, 233
SPONDYLIUM, —ION, a kind of plant, cow-parsnip, or all-heal. Also called SPHONDYLIUM and FONDULUM. It is quite evident that this term is very easily confused with the foregoing, a mistake, which was made by Humelbergius and upheld by Lister and others. For comparison see ℞ 46, 115-21, 183, 309, 431
SPONDYLUS, the muscular part of an oyster or other shellfish, scallop, for instance; also a species of bivalves, perhaps the scallop, ℞ 46
SPONGIOLA, rose gall, also the roots of asparagus, clottered and grown close together
SPONGIOLUS, fungus growing in the meadows, a mushroom, cf. SPONDYLIUM and notes pertaining thereto
Sprats, ℞ 138-9
Sprouts, cabbage ——, ℞ 89-92
Squash, ℞ 73-80
Squill, ℞ 485
Squirrel, ℞ 396
Stag, ℞ 339-45
Starch, in forcemeats, sausage, etc., ℞ 50
Starr, Frederick, see introduction
STATERAE, steelyards for measuring
Sternajolo, writer, Apiciana, No. 28, p. 273
Stewed Lacertus, ℞ 152; —— meats, p. 285, ℞ 356, seq.
Stewpots, illustrated, pp. 183, 209, 223, 235
String beans and chick-peas, ℞ 209
STRUTHIO, ostrich, ℞ 210-11
Studemund, W., writer, p. 19
Stuffed pumpkin fritters, ℞ 176; —— chicken or pig, ℞ 199; —— boned kid or lamb, ℞ 360
STURNUS, a starling, stare; Platina condemns its meat as unfit, likewise that of the blackbird (cf. MERULA); he pronounces their flesh to be “devilish.” “STURNI, QUOS VULGO DIABOLICAM CARNEM HABERE DICIMUS.” Yet three-hundred years later, French authorities recommend this sort of food. Viger, La Nouvelle Maison Rustique, Paris, 1798, Vol. iii, p. 613, tells how to catch and fatten STURNI. “After a month [of forced feeding] they will be nice and fat and good to eat and to sell; there are persons who live of this trade.” He praises the crow similarly
These instances are cited not only as a commentary upon the taste of the Southern people and their habits which have endured to this day but also to illustrate the singular genius of Platina. Also the following notes to STYRIO tend to show how far advanced was Platina in the matter of food as compared with the masters of the 18th century in France
STYRIO, STIRIO, STURIO, ℞ 145, sturgeon; probably the same fish as known to the ancients as ACIPENSER or STURIO. (A. SIVE S. OBLONGO TEREDEQUE—Stephanus à Schonevelde, in Ichthyologia, Hamburg, 1624). There can be no doubt that the sturgeon or sterlet is meant by this term, for Platina calls the eggs of the fish “caviare.” “OVA STIRIONIS CONDITUM QUOD CAUARE UOCANT.” Eloquently he describes his struggle with the changing language. The efforts of this conscientious man, Platina, to get at the bottom of things no matter how trivial they may appear, are highly praiseworthy
He writes “DE STIRIONE. TRAHI PER TENEBRAS NŪC MIHI VIDEOR, QUANDO HORŪ, DE QUIBUS, DEINCEPS DICTURUS SUM, PISCIŪ, NULLUS CERTUS UEL NOMINIS, UEL NATURAE EXISTAT AUTOR. NEGLIGENTIAE MAIORUM & INSCITIAE ID MAGIS, QUÀM MIHI ASCRIBENDUM EST. VTAR EGO NOUIS NOMINIBUS NE DELICATORUM GULAE PER ME DICANT STETISSE, QUO MINUS INTEGRA UTERENTUR UOLUPTATE.”
As for the rest, Platina cooks the sturgeon precisely in our own modern way: namely in water, white wine and vinegar. And: “SALEM INDERE MEMENTO!—don’t forget the salt!”
Compare him with France 350 years later. As for caviare, A. Beauvilliers, in his L’Art du cuisinier, Paris, 1814, treats this “ragoût” as something entirely new; yet Beauvilliers was the leading restaurateur of his time and a very capable cook, save Carême, the best. Beauvilliers has no use for caviare which he calls “Kavia.” Says he: “LES RUSSES EN FONT UN GRAND CAS ET L’ACHETENT FORT CHER [The Russians make a big thing of this and buy it very dearly] CE RAGOUT, SELON MOI, NE CONVIENT QU’ AUX RUSSES—this stew, according to my notion, suits only the Russians or those who have traveled thereabouts.”
Shakespeare, in speaking about “Caviare to the General” apparently was more up-to-date in culinary matters than this Parisian authority. A search of the eight volumes (Vol. I, 1803) of the famous Almanach des Gourmands by Grimod de la Reynière, Paris, 1803, seq., fails to reveal a trace of caviare
A German cook, a hundred years after Platina, Marx Rumpolt in “Ein new Kochbuch, Franckfort am Mayn, bey Johan Feyrabendt, 1587” on verso of folio XCVII, No. 9, gives an exact description of caviare and its mode of preparation. He calls it ROGEN VOM HAUSEN. The HAUSEN is the real large sturgeon, the Russian Beluga from which the best caviare is obtained. Rumpolt, whose book is the finest and most thorough of its kind in the middle ages, and a great work in every respect, remarks that caviare is good eating, especially for Hungarian gentlemen
“... SO ISSET MAN JN ROH / IST EIN GUT ESSEN / SONDERLICH FÜR EINEN VNGERISCHEN HERRN.”
SUCCIDIA a side of bacon or salt pork
Suckling Pig, see PORCELLUS
Sugar and pork, ℞ 151; use of —— in ancient Rome, see SACCARUM
Suidas, writer, p. 11
SUMEN, ℞ 257; —— PLENUM, ℞ 258
Sumptuary laws, p. 25, ℞ 166
Sumptuous dishes, ℞ 285
Sweet dishes, home-made, ℞ 294-6
Sweet MINUTAL, ℞ 168
SYRINGIATUS, ℞ 360
TABLE, adjustable, illustration, p. 138; —— round, id., p. 122
Tacuinus, editor-printer, p. 258; quoted in recipes 8 seq.; Facs. of Title Page, 1503, p. 262; Facs. of opening chapter, p. 232
TAMNIS, —US, TAMINIUS, wild grape
TANACETUM, tansy
Taranto, Tarentum, city, ℞ 165; —ian sausage, ℞ 140; —— Minutal, ℞ 165; see also LONGANO
Taricho, Tarichea, town, ℞ 427, seq.
Taro, dasheen, ℞ 74, 154, 172, 200, 244, 322; see COLOCASIA
Tarpeius, a Roman, ℞ 363
TEGULA, tile for a roof, also a pan, a plate of marble or of copper; Ger. TIEGEL
Tempting Dish of Peas, A ——, ℞ 192
TERENTINA, ℞ 338
Tertullian, writer, p. 3
TESTA, —U, —UM, an earthen pot with a lid, a casserole
TESTICULA CAPONUM, ℞ 166
TESTUDO, TESTA, turtle, tortoise. Platina praises the sea-turtle as good eating
TETRAPES, —US, four-footed animals; title of Book VIII
TETRAPHARMACUM, a course of four dishes, or a dish consisting of four meats. In modern language, a “Mixed Grill,” a “Fritto Misto,” a “Shore-Dinner”
THALASSA, the sea; title of Book IX, treating of fish
Theban ounce, ℞ 3
THERMOPOLIUM, a tavern, specializing in hot drinks
THERMOSPODIUM, a hot-plate, a hot dish carrier, a BAIN-MARIS, illustrations, pp. 72, 90
THINCA, a fish, moonfish (?) “OLIM MENAM APPELLATAM CREDIDERIM”—Platina
Thudichum, Dr., writer, p. 18
THUS, TUS, frankincense, or the juice producing incense, Rosemary (?); also the herb ground-pine, CHAMAEPITYS, ℞ 60
Thrush, p. 265, ℞ 497
THYMBRIA, savory; see SISYMBRIUM, SATUREIA and CUNILA; also see THYMUS
THYMUS, thyme. Platina describes THYMUS and THYMBRIA with such a love and beauty that we cannot help but bestow upon him the laurels worn by the more well-known poets who became justly famous for extolling the fragrance of less useful plants such as roses and violets