Re: Ketchup (was: linguistic "flavours" (was Re: Missing W ords)

On Sat, 30 Mar 2002 00:48:10 -0500 "Karapcik, Mike"
<Karapcik@...> writes:
> |   >Then, one fateful day, an American added tomatoes.
> | I'm not at all sure we can blame the US for adding tomatoes,
> | although it seems that, of non-Mediterranean peoples, we
> | americanos were among the few who early on considered  the
> | tomato to be edible.
>    Yes. In much of Europe, "everyone knew" that tomatoes were
> poisonous and
> hot peppers (chilis) were bad for you. They were very popular as
> ornamental
> plants, peppers more so since birds and catepillars will destroy
> tomato
> plants and tomatoes. (Yes, birds and bugs eat peppers. I've grown
> both.
> Cherry tomatoes are difficult to keep safe.)
-

I remember reading that people in Europe wouldn't eat tomatoes because
they thought they were an aphrodesiac, and red with blood.  According to
that source, that's also why the Modern Hebrew word for "tomato" is
_`agvaniya_, from the root |3GB| referring to lust.


-Stephen (Steg)
 "...vehaqadosh barukh hu matzileinu miyadam."