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1.
Early Sci Med ; 21(2-3): 214-231, 2016 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29693807

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the reception of knowledge about new world nature, and, more specifically, the reception of Iberian scientific knowledge of nature in the Americas, in the early modem Czech lands. It shows how the process of the reception of information about nature in the new world differed among the urban classes, intellectuals and the nobility; particular attention is paid to herbals, cosmographical works and travel reports. On the one hand, the study reveals that the efforts of Central European intellectuals to interpret new world nature were limited by the lack of necessary data and experience, which led to some misinterpretations and simplifications. On the other hand, it shows these Central European scholars to be fully-fledged members of an information network, whose works share many of the same characteristics as Iberian and, in general, early modem European science.


Subject(s)
Camelids, New World , Capsicum/history , Herbal Medicine/history , Knowledge , Natural History/history , Science/history , Americas , Animals , Austria-Hungary , Czech Republic , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , Portugal , Spain , Turkey
2.
J Ethnopharmacol ; 167: 64-77, 2015 Jun 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25446579

ABSTRACT

Historians of the Eurasian spice trade focus on the fortunes of black pepper (Piper Nigrum L.), largely because the trading companies of the Dutch and English which they study also did. Capsicum peppers are, however, the world׳s most consumed spice, and their story needs to be told in parallel. The five species of capsicum peppers spread across the world in less than two hundred years following their discovery by Europeans in South and Central America and proved both hardier than Piper nigrum and able to reproduce spontaneously. While the taste was similar but more pungent than black pepper, capsicums provided an important vitamin C and bioflavanoid supplement to poorer people in southern and eastern Europe far from the precepts of good taste as dictated from Paris, and rapidly became a mainstay of tropical cuisine across the world. This contribution seeks both to trace and to understand that diffusion and its principal vectors from historical research amongst a plethora of primary source materials in European and Asian languages. Medical and dietetic reaction is presented from a wide range of contemporary texts. The work proceeds according to deductive reasoning and in comparison to the diffusion of black pepper consumption. It reveals the very different strategies of import substitution and commercial embargo undertaken by Portuguese and Spanish authorities, a somewhat later date of arrival in China than previously thought, and three different, competing lines of entry into an important area of later cultivation, namely Central Europe.


Subject(s)
Capsicum/history , Commerce , Europe , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , Humans
5.
Science ; 315(5814): 986-8, 2007 Feb 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17303753

ABSTRACT

Chili peppers (Capsicum spp.) are widely cultivated food plants that arose in the Americas and are now incorporated into cuisines worldwide. Here, we report a genus-specific starch morphotype that provides a means to identify chili peppers from archaeological contexts and trace both their domestication and dispersal. These starch microfossils have been found at seven sites dating from 6000 years before present to European contact and ranging from the Bahamas to southern Peru. The starch grain assemblages demonstrate that maize and chilies occurred together as an ancient and widespread Neotropical plant food complex that predates pottery in some regions.


Subject(s)
Capsicum , Fossils , Starch , Agriculture/history , Archaeology , Capsicum/classification , Capsicum/history , History, 15th Century , History, Ancient , Humans , South America , Spices/history
6.
Med Pregl ; 56(5-6): 295-8, 2003.
Article in Serbian | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-14565057

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews historical aspects regarding medical knowledge on scurvy, vitamin C deficiency, and its etiological factors. This disease used to affect naval-crews on long lasting sea voyages, soldiers during times of war and the poor. Although efficient therapy of scurvy (fresh vegetables, lemon juice) was known in the mid-18th century, its etiology was not known. It was believed to be caused by the cold, moist winds, unhealthy evaporations, malnutrition and it was called "alkaline disease". It was established that acid substances like lemon juice, had beneficial effects on the disease. However, it was soon generally accepted that it was caused by deficient diet. In 1830, Dr. John Elliotson, Professor of Medicine at London University supported this opinion. In 1928, Albert Szent Gyordyi, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Szeged and Budapest Universities, isolated vitamin C from green pepper, vegetable proved to be rich with vitamin C. Due to this discovery, and some discoveries regarding biological processes, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology in 1937. Back in 1864, a military doctor in Belgrade, Dr. Maksim Nikolic-Miskovicev from Sremski Karlovci, wrote to Ministry of Defence of the Serbian Principality. He informed the authorities about a successful, quick and cheap cure for scurvy-pepper juice. A medical board headed by Dr. Vladan Dordevic was formed to evaluate his discovery. Dr. Nikolic-Miskovicev was underestimated and laughed at, and his discovery was completely forgotten. The aim of this paper was to correct injustice done to Dr. Maksim Nikolic-Miskovicev.


Subject(s)
Scurvy/history , Ascorbic Acid/history , Ascorbic Acid Deficiency/complications , Ascorbic Acid Deficiency/history , Capsicum/history , History, 19th Century , Humans , Scurvy/diet therapy , Scurvy/etiology , Yugoslavia
9.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr ; 22(2): 109-76, 1985.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-3899517

ABSTRACT

The genus Capsicum (Fam. Solanaceae) was known to ancient cultures and was more recently historically associated with the discovery of the New World. This genus provides many species and varieties used in flavoring foods popular in the cuisines of many parts of the world. From the pungent chilli to the colorful paprika and the bell pepper, with its remarkable aroma, the genus is of great interest for its chemistry, sensory attributes, and physiological action. The Capsicums, among the spices, are second only to black pepper in trade both in volume and value. The production of the different pungency forms, the processed seasonings, and the concentrated oleoresins, through technologically advanced processes and in specified standard grades, are critically reviewed. The pungency of Capsicum fruits, its evaluation, chemical structure relationship, its increasing acceptance and preference by a variety of populations are of great research interest. The wide traditional use in the growing regions and its intense physiological effects have attracted the attention of researchers of many different disciplines. These aspects are reviewed in four sequential parts. Part I deals with history, botany, cultivation, and primary processing.


Subject(s)
Capsicum , Plants, Edible , Plants, Medicinal , Agriculture , Ascorbic Acid , Capsicum/history , Chemistry , Ethylene Oxide , Food Handling , Fruit , History, 15th Century , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , History, Ancient , Hot Temperature , Hydrocarbons, Brominated , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Lipids/analysis , Plant Diseases
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