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Pumpkin, Squash, Gourd
It seems to be well established that at least three of the four cultivated species of Cucurbita (C.
pepo, C. moschata and C. maxima) existed in the New World long before Columbus; the fourth
(C. ficifolia) is “ordinarily not thought of as a cultivated plant” (Whittaker), but apparently has
been cultivated in the past. Whitaker argues, on the evidence of the absence of these species in
the fifteenth century European herbals and their presence in the sixteenth century ones, that they
were introduced into Europe from the New World. A variety of C. pepo similar to the squash now
known as “Small Sugar” is illustrated in an herbal of 1542. What appears to be a field pumpkin is
illustrated in 1560, with other varieties appearing in later herbals during the century. Whitaker
concludes that “none of the cultivated species of Cucurbita were known to the botanists of the
Western world before 1492.” If so, all varieties of pumpkins, squash, and vegetable marrows are
inappropriate before 1492; some were known in the sixteenth century, but may or may not have
been sufficiently common to be used in feasts.
There is, however, a plant translated as “gourd” in both Italian and Islamic cookbooks before
1492. The Four Seasons of the House of Cerruti, which is 14th century, shows a “Cucurbite” that
looks exactly like a green butternut squash–a fact of which Whitaker seems unaware when
asserting the absence of all varieties of Cucurbita from pre-sixteenth century sources. It seems
likely, however, that his conclusion was correct, and that what is shown in the picture and used in
the recipes is not C. pepo but Lagenaria sicereia. For details see Paris et. al.
“The white-flowered gourd, Lagenaria sicereia,” seems to “have been common to both Old
and New Worlds” (Whitaker). I am told that the Italian Edible Gourd is a species of Lagenaria
and available from, among others, J. L. Hudson, Seedman (www.jlhudsonseeds.net/). Simoons
describes a Lagenaria still used in modern Chinese cooking. We have obtained what we think is
the right gourd from a Chinese grocery store and used it in period recipes with satisfactory
results. The taste and texture are somewhat similar to zucchini but less bitter. The Chinese, or
perhaps Vietnamese, name for one variety, which the grower assured us had white flowers, is
"opo."
Pineapple and Guava
These are New World fruits that were being grown in India in the 16th Century (Crosby).
Blueberry and Cranberry
It appears from comments by Simmons that the term “blueberry” describes a number of
different New World species of the genus Vaccinium; the bilberry, which is a member of the
same genus, is Old World. The blueberry produces “larger and better flavored berries than the
European bilberry.” According to McGee, “The cultivated blueberry, a native of the American
east, north, and northwest, has been purposely bred only since about 1910 ... .”
According to McGee, cranberries are also species of Vaccinium. According to several earlier
sources, there is disagreement as to whether they are members of Vaccinium or belong in a
separate genus, Oxycoccus. There are both old world and new world cranberries, but “the
commercial cranberry ... is an American native.” (McGee) The word “cranberry” seems to have
come into use with the new world variant of the berry.
It sounds, in both cases, as though a jelly made from modern berries would correspond pretty
closely to something that might have been eaten in Europe in period, but individual berries would
look noticably different from their old world relatives. We do not know of any period recipes
using either berry.