FO O D


The virtues of vegetables


In the 1970s, bifurcated anthropomorphic carrots appeared regularly on the BBC television programme That’s Life, especially when their two forks were hilariously joined by a smaller third growth in the middle. Similarly shaped mandrakes, used in medi- eval medicine as an emetic and to bathe ulcers, were believed to shriek when pulled from the earth. The appearance of edible plants was once


linked to their use in medicine. Red chillis were recommended to restore colour to the cheeks, and stems of asparagus were the Renaissance Viagra. They were also prescribed for relieving pain when urinating. The pomegranate bursts with seeds, linking its use with the fertilised womb.


Being encouraged to eat linseed From Yinshan Zhengyao (Principles of Correct Diet), 1368–1644 Hu Shihui L0034695 Wellcome Images


From A Brief Treatise on Venereal Disease and Spermatorrhoea, 20th century S Gould L0024120 Wellcome Images


This distinguished gentleman is being encouraged to eat linseed in the dry autumn, in order to restore moisture to the body.


Read


Freedman PH. Food: The history of taste. London: Thames & Hudson; 2007.


Dinner should be taken in summer soon before sunset and consist


of bread, vegetables, and barley cake. One will start with raw


vegetables, with the exception of cucumber and horseradish, for these are vegetables that should be eaten toward the end of the meal.


From the diary of 4th-century BCE physician Diocles of Carystus, as reported by Oribasius


Gratzer W. Terrors of the Table: The curious history of nutrition. New York: Oxford University Press; 2005.


Porter R. Quacks: Fakers & charlatans in English medicine. Stroud: Tempus Publishing; 2000.


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