[Homestead] Ethnicity (was Tortillas)

eureka at hctc.net eureka at hctc.net
Wed Apr 11 12:26:29 EDT 2007


Very interesting! I tried to grow fava beans last year for 
the first time, mostly out of curiousity and as a possible 
wheat substitute for my husband. When my package arrived, 
it contained only about ten seeds. Only half sprouted, and 
only one survived. It finally bloomed, and nothing became 
of it. I would think, given their history, they might like 
our sun and arid climate. Is there some secret to 
successful favas? Why would a seed company be so stingy?

--Sage
way out in Texas

On Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:15:18 -0700
  Bill Jones <billj at harborside.com> wrote:
> Lynda wrote:
> 
>>{{{{{Hugs}}}}} and lots of positive energy.  Hope the job 
>>turns out to be a 
>>good thing!
>>
>>As to the favas, I first experienced them back in the 50s 
>>when one of our 
>>neighbors was from Egypt.  Hmmmm, seems to me they were 
>>called ful 
>>(pronounced fool) something or another.  Reminded me of 
>>refried beans with 
>>lots of garlic and cumin but also a taste of lemon. 
>> Quite good.
>>
>>  
>>
> That's it!  I couldn't remember the name.
> 
>>However, I don't like them because they are a PITA. <g> 
>>
> ?  Is this some reference I might find vulgar? :)
> Eventually things will normalize with a consistent 
>high-fibre diet, dear.
> 
>> Being a history nut 
>>(both history history and food history), I found it 
>>interesting to follow 
>>their path from deep in the Mediterranean to them being 
>>considered to 
>>somehow be credited as something English.
>>  
>>
> You might have heard the story about how Pythagoras was 
>opposed to 
> eating beans (favas, of course) and forbade all his 
>disciples to eat 
> them as well.  It's been speculated that he had favism 
>(a severe allergy 
> to them).
> 
> I'm not sure when the first crop was harvested in 
>England, but it would 
> not surprise me if it was in Roman times or earlier. 
> That was several 
> cultures ago, in human terms.  So that makes about as 
>native an English 
> food as need be, since the typical person would not 
>think of their 
> broadbeans as Mediterranean, after such as long time. 
> For instance, if 
> you look at the different words for turkey, you can see 
>that absolutely 
> no folk wisdom about the origin of foods can be taken 
>seriously; 
> continental Europeans thought that turkeys came from 
>India (and all this 
> confusion came about within only a few centuries). 
> People don't eat 
> favas as much in England today, but if you believe John 
>Seymour, they 
> were once as common a food item among the peasantry as 
>"habas" in Spain 
> or favas in Italy.  He even admits to eating small 
>favas, skins and all.
> 
> Bill
> S. Oregon coast
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Homestead list and subscription:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
> Change your homestead list member options:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/eureka%40hctc.net
> View the archives at:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/homestead
> 
> 




More information about the Homestead mailing list