FOODSTUFFS This Appendix Presents Several Foodstuffs out of the Wide Variety That Were Eaten by Medieval People, As Mentioned In

APPENDIX FOUR

FOODSTUFFS

This appendix presents several foodstuffs out of the wide variety that were eaten by medieval people, as mentioned in the Genizah fragments. It forms a part of this book, which deals with medicinal substances, owing to the importance of food for health in the Arab world in the Middle Ages. The regimen sanitatis (nowadays preventive medicine) was one of the main pillars of ancient and medieval medicine, that is, healthy nutrition alongside treatment with medicinal substances (simples) and compound drugs.14 Our identification of some of the foodstuffs was a lengthy and extremely complicated process, in which various dictionaries were used (on the identification process and literature consulted, see part A, Chapter 3). The foodstuffs’ names, descriptions and selective class marks in which they are mentioned, without distinction between practical and theoretical information, are presented in the table. However, most of the information comes from medical and pharmacological literature, and therefore is theoretical.

Table 21 Foodstuffs

Arabic Description Selected Classmark ajwāl Pressed preserved wet dates T-S Ar.41.37; T-S NS 306.115 itriya Noodle T-S Or.1081.1.21 dibs Dates concentrate sweet liquid T-S Ar.43.312 until 12th century (made of grapes later)

14 See for example the title of Ibn al-Baytār’s book Kitāb al-JāmiB li-Mufradāt al- Adwiya wa-Al-Aghdhiya—the book of the simple medicines and the foodstuff—Ibn al-Baytar, al-Jami. foodstuffs 571

Table 21 (cont.) Arabic Description Selected Classmark fānīd Different sweets (GN) T-S Ar.11.13; T-S Ar.41.81; T-S Ar.41.114; T-S Ar.41.123; T-S Ar.42.199; T-S Ar.44.37; T-S Ar.44.57; T-S Ar.44.86; T-S Ar.44.91; T-S Ar.45.28; T-S Ar.45.53; T-S NS 90.27; T-S NS 90.61; T-S NS 90.80; T-S NS 164.80 fuqqāa Drink made out of barley (similar T-S Ar.40.104 to beer) futr Mushroom (GN) T-S Ar.41.13; T-S Ar.44.77; T-S AS 177.456 fatīt Soup served with pieces of bread. T-S Ar.41.96 fawākih Fruits (GN) T-S Ar.41.47; T-S Ar.41.116; T-S Ar.41.136; T-S Ar.42.73; T-S Ar.44.90; T-S Ar.44.101; T-S Ar.44.129; T-S Ar.44.130; T-S Ar.44.208; T-S AS 181.195; T-S Or.1080.13.43 halāwa Sweets (GN), halva (used as T-S Ar.44.201; T-S Ar.44.208; aphrodisiac) T-S NS 164.159 harīsa 1. Dish made of meat and ground T-S Ar.44.95; T-S Or.1081. J.71; wheat. 2. Sweet made out of flour, sugar and butter (in Egypt) hasw, hasā Soup, porridge T-S Ar.44.67; T-S Ar.44.91; T-S Ar.45.45 hawrī White bread T-S Ar.11.13; T-S Ar.38.40; T-S Ar.44.91 hawāij Compound of spices such as T-S Ar.30.65; T-S Ar.42.20; cumin, pepper and cardamom T-S AS 177.139; T-S Ar.43.338 ruqāqa Thin crispy bread or biscuit T-S Or. J91 kama Truffles T-S Ar.38.76; T-S AS 177.456; T-S Or.1080.13.33 khabīsa 1. Dish made out of vegetables. T-S Or.1081.J.71; T-S Or.1081.J.71 2. Sweets made out of dates and butter. khamīra; Leaven dough—used as topical T-S Ar.44.181; T-S Ar.30.99; hamīra application—fermented liquid, T-S AS 182.222; T-S AS 184.234; treats haemorrhoids T-S Ar.39.450; T-S Ar.39.487; T-S Ar.43.317; T-S NS 279.57 khubz Bread T-S Ar.39.151; T-S Ar.41.47; T-S Ar.41.96; T-S Ar.41.128; T-S Ar.41.134; T-S Ar.45.45 kunāfa Sweet noodle casserole T-S Or.1081.J.71