Sympotica graecolatina

When it comes to cabbage, the qunnabit of the Arabs is just like the cappuccio of the Italians: Monday's Latin quotation

Canabit est species caulis nota in Syria, et est habens folia et thyrsos sicut caules, et inter folia ipsius est globus medullaris albus, in cuius [...] sunt sicut semina alba plurima aggregata, et globus praedictus est flos canabit ... et habet similitudinem aliqualem cum specie caulium quae Venetis dicitur capuzzi.

1555 Andreas Alpagus Bellunensis, Glossary to the Canon of Avicenna

Favourite diet of the Caribes or Canibales: Sunday's Latin quotation

Earum terrarum incolae Canibales esse affirmant sive Caribes, humanarum carnium edaces.

Peter Martyr of Anghiera, Decades 8.6

How to prepare caviare: Thursday's Latin quotation

Conditum quod caviare vocant. Ova stirionis exemptis quibusdam nervis qui haec inter erant lota ex aceto aut vino albo in tabulam extendes ut exsiccent.

1475 Platina, De Honesta Voluptate et Valetudine

Why are mullets so called?

Go straight to sci.lang.sanskrit for a discussion of the etymology of the Sanskrit and Tamil words for 'pearl', which leads on, in the way that these threads do, to the etymology of Latin mugil 'grey mullet'.

The varieties of gum guggul: Tuesday's Latin quotation

... Bactriana, in qua bdellium laudatissimum: alii brochon appellant, alii malacham, alii maldacon, nigrum vero hadrobolon. nascitur et in Arabia Indiaque et Media ac Babylone. aliqui peraticum vocant ex Media.

c. 79 Pliny, Natural History 12.35.

Sabine cheesecakes: Monday's food quotation

circuli, quod mixta farina et caseo et aqua circuitum aequabiliter fundebant. hos quidam qui magis incondite faciebant vocabant lixulas et similixulas vocabulo sabino: itaque frequentia Sabinis.

Varo, On the Latin Language 5.106

The three kinds of aloeswood: Sunday's Latin quotation

Illud etiam noueritis triplex esse aloes genus. Aliud est longe perfectius (huic calampat nomen est): hoc ... ex urbe Sarnau aduehitur ... Est et aliud genus aloes lubam nomine: hoc flumine nescioquo huc comportatur. nouissimo autem bochor nomen est.

1511 Ludovico Varthema, Itinerarium (Latin translation by Archangelus Madrignanus)

Liquor, administered by a lady, calms a Puritan's brain: Friday's lexical quotation

Some time the spirit is so strong with him, it gets quite out of him, and then my mother, or Win, are faine to fetch it againe with Malmesey, or Aqua cœlestis.

1631 Ben Jonson, Bartholmew Fair act 1 scene 3

Laganum = crumpet: Tuesday's Latin quotation

... tortamque panis unius, crustulam conspersam oleo; laganum de canistro azymorum.

Exodus [Vulgate translation] 29.23. Wyclif's English translation of 1382: a cake of a loof, a crusted cake spreynde with oyle, a crompid cake, of the leepe of therf looues. Wyclif's revised version, 1388: a tender cake of o loof, spreynde with oile, paast sodun in watir and after fried in oile, of the panyer of therf looues.

Ancient Pucinum, modern Prosecco? Thursday's neo-Latin quotation

Et però dirò io che dotato d'eccellentissimi vini è il contado di Goritia, dove si ha ... quel Pucino antico che nasce in Prosecco non molto lontano dal Timavo.

1585 Matthioli, Commentary on Dioscorides p. 821.

Some names of beer in ancient Europe: Tuesday's Greek quotation

Those who have no vines ... have imitated wine by preparing other seeds or fruits or combining roots ... The Egyptians drink zythos, the Paeonians kamon, the Celts kerbesia, the Babylonians sikera.

c. 200 Sextus Julius Africanus, Kestoi 1.19.21. For the Greek text click here 

Aphrodisiac and other properties of salep root: Thursday's Latin quotation

Herba priapiscus. Herbae priapisci radices tundis et imponis: expurgat et cicatrices curant. Herbae priapisci suco oculos inungis et lippitudinem et dolores tollit sine mora. Si quis ad mulierem non potuerit, herbae priapisci radicem (sed et testiculum dextrum qui maior est) teres eum et piperis grana xlvii, mellis uncias iv, in uino optimo medicamen soluis et pondus scripula ix per triduo sumes.
Nomina herbae: a Graecis dicitur satirion, alii cinos <orchis>, alii entaticon, alii eritronion, alii panion, alii serapion, alii orchis, Aegyptii mene, Galli ura, Itali priapiscus, alii testiculos.

Pseudo-Apuleius, Herbarius 15. Source: Antonii Musae de herba vettonica liber; Pseudoapulei herbarius; Anonymi de taxone liber; Sexti Placiti liber medicinae ex animalibus, etc. ed. Ernestus Howald, Henricus E. Sigerist. Leipzig: Teubner, 1927.

The health benefits of yogurt, and how to spell it: Tuesday's Latin quotation

...aut acidi lactis genus, Galeno non ignoti, quod ipse oxygalam, isti jugurtham dicunt, nihil requirant præterea. Lac illud diluunt aqua frigidissima, panemque interunt: eoque utuntur in magno æstu & siti. Cujus sane utilitatem nos quoque in magnis caloribus sæpe experti sumus. Cibus is cum palato & ventriculo gratissimus est; tum ad extinguendam vehementiorem sitim vim habet admirabilem. Magna ejus copia passim venalis est, ubicunque sunt Caravasciarai; hoc est (ut dixi) Turcarum diversoria, quemadmodum & aliorum obsoniorum.

1554 Busbecq, Legationis Turcicae Epistulae

Burdock juice in old wine cures snakebite: Sunday's Latin quotation

Herbae personaciae sucus cum vino veteri, potione data, omnes morsus serpentium vel colubri mirifice sanat ...
Nomina herbae: a Graecis dicitur prosopis, alii bacchion, alii elefantosis, alii elefas, alii nefelion, Itali personacia, alii bardana, alii manifolium, Galli betilolen, Daci riborasta.

Pseudo-Apuleius, Herbarius 36. And for a list of ancient Dacian plant names click here

Turmeric and its use in curry: Tuesday's Latin quotation

Curcuma in India tam ad cibum quam ad medecinam adhibetur, Indi enim ... adeo ipsi adsueti sunt ut cum cunctis admiscent condimentis et piscibus, praesertim autem isti quod karri ipsis vocatur.

c. 1690 G. E. Rumphius, Herbarium Amboinense vol. 5 p. 166

If you want to know more about Georgius Everhardus Rumphius and his Ambon Herbal, start here

Decocta 'iced water': Monday's Latin quotation

Iam si tibi ex illo conclamatissimo fontium decocta referatur, videbis in calicibus repente perfusis nivalium maculas et frusta nebularum et illam lucem lubricam poculorum quadam quasi pinguedine subiti algoris hebetatem. tum respondentes poculis potiones, quarum rigentes cyathi siticuloso cuique, ne dicam tibi granditer abstemio, metuerentur.

Sidonius Apollinaris, Letter to Domitius [Letters 2.2]

[Translation from Perseus Digital Library:] If water of our famous springs is served and quickly poured into the cups, one sees snowy spots and clouded patches form outside them; the sudden chill dulls the fugitive reflections of the surface almost as if it had been greased. Such cups restrict one's draughts; the thirstiest soul on earth, to say nothing of Your Abstemiousness, would set lip to the freezing brims with caution.

How to make kumiss: Tuesday's Latin quotation

Ipsum comos, hoc est lac iumentinum, fit hoc modo. Extendunt cordam longam super terram ad duos palos fixos in terra, et ad illam cordam ligant circiter horas tres, pullos equarum quas volunt mungere. Tunc stant matres iuxta pullos suos et permittunt se pacifice mungi. Et si aliqua est nimis indomita, tunc accipit unus homo pullum et supponit ei permittens parum sugere, tunc retrahit illum, et emunctor lactis succedit. Congregata ergo multitudine lactis, quod est ita dulce sicut uaccinum, dum est recens, fundunt illud in magnum utrem siue bucellam, et incipiunt illud concutere cum ligno ad hoc aptato, quod grossum est inferius sicut caput hominis et cauatum subtus: et quam cito concutiunt illud, incipit bullire sicut vinum nouum, et acescere siue fermentari, et excutiunt illud donec extrahant butirum. Tunc gustant illud; et quando est temperate pungitiuum bibunt: pungit enim super linguam sicut vinum raspei dum bibitur. Et postquam homo cessat bibere, relinquit saporem super linguam lactis amygdalini, et multum reddit interiora hominis iucunda, et etiam inebriat debilia capita: multum etiam prouocat urinam.

1253 William of Rubruck, Itinerarium

[Translation by Peter Jackson:] Comos -- namely, mare's milk -- is made in the following way. They stretch above the ground a long rope between two stakes stuck in the soil, and around the third hour tether to the rope the foals of the mares they intend to milk. Then the mares stand beside their foals and let themselves be milked peacefully. In the event of any of them proving intractable, one man takes the foal and puts it underneath her to let it suck a little, and then withdraws it while the milker takes its place. So having collected a large quantity of milk, which when fresh is as sweet as cow's milk, they pour it into a large skin or bag, and set about churning it with a club which is made for this purpose, as think at the lower end as a man's head and hollowed out. As they stir it rapidly, it begins to bubble like new wine, and to turn sour or ferment, and they keep churning it until they extract the butter. Next they taste it, and when it is moderately pungent they drink it. While one is drinking it, it stings the tongue like râpé wine, but after one has finished drinking it leaves on the tongue a taste of milk of almonds. It produces a very agreeable sensation inside and even intoxicates those with no strong head; it also markedly brings on urination.

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