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I think the ingredient Silphium described in this dish (Now considered extinct) could be Sea Holly (Eryngium spp). Its highly debated as many authors think it i
by pankajdoharey 9mo ago
I think the ingredient Silphium described in this dish (Now considered extinct) could be Sea Holly (Eryngium spp). Its highly debated as many authors think it is some extinct variety of fennel, but from the images on the coins it doesnt look like a Fennel.
- ithkuil 9mo agoI believe there are more descriptions of it other than rough depictions on coins
- dr_dshiv 9mo agoOr Ferula drudeana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferula_drudeana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferula_drudeana
- pankajdoharey 9mo agoCould be but the central bulb as made on the coins is unlike a fennel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium , and since this imaginary recipe is a part of a comedy it is unlikely to be edible. If you look at other ingredients they can surely make someone sick.
- culi 9mo agoThe best explanation I've heard is that it was a sterile hybrid of two Ferula species. Many Ferula have a long history of mythology behind them. Asafoetida (aka hing) is probably where the heart symbol came from (its roughly heart-shaped root was used as an aphrodisiac). Silphium similarly had much demand as an aphrodisiac. This hybrid likely grew in the African Mediterranean and the high demand for it, alongside its inability to reproduce through seed, is probably what led to its extinction.
- nephihaha 9mo agoRomans had very different palates from the modern west.