Whatzit?

[webenda]

Why, on Earth, would somebody do that? We don't have enough plants that we are eating now?

Many people do not get enough roughage into their diet.......quite a few of them apparently post in this forum, too,

The POINT was the special preparation of a poisonous plant's leaves for consumption by humans. Why bother? We have plenty of plants available as food. We are not so desperate that we need to harvest the poisonous ones, too. And, of course, it's possible that if we were to start specially preparing such plants, some folks would likely develop aversions and serious reactions to them just by touching them, before they ever even got to a kitchen for special preparations to "lessen the toxicity." Eh? Huh?

Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell/chili peppers are members of the deadly nightshade family, Solanaceae. Given your attitude concerning eating poisonous plants, I am sure you never eat any of those just listed. Am I right, Murph?

And then there are the cherry, peach, plum, almond, and apricot of which the leaves and seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside.

[webenda]

Why would anyone go to the trouble to detoxify their food when so much food is everywhere?

People who were poor and people who were formerly enslaved—they had to figure out what to cook, and what to eat. You can trace different wild foods back to those folks. People who are looking for food to get by are more likely to eat poke sallet than someone who had means to eat other things.

My wife grew up so poor in Tucson that when I first met her I had to ask why she was eating the bones in her chicken drumsticks. She explained that her stepdad worked bussing tables and sometimes what he scrapped up at the restaurant was all the family had to eat all day. She would go out and gather some weeds for salad and feed the family. Not one of them thought of her as they devoured the scrapes and weeds. All that was left for her were totally meatless bones. She had developed a taste for chicken bones.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Now that you mention what your wife had accustomed herself to, at a time in her life, I am reminded of my father's mother. One time, she came over to the house for a Sunday afternoon dinner and decided to be helpful. So, she went out into the backyard, put a little rug down, as she went along, and proceeded to dig out whatever dandelions she could find, gathering them into her apron. I was mortified when I caught sight of her. My father was not pleased. My mother was chagrinned. I was horrified the neighbors would see her (which they did) and think I-don't-know-what about her and us. She wouldn't stop until she had what she felt was sufficient as a side-dish for dinner. Then, she brought them into the house and had the good sense to clean them herself, not expecting my mother to clean them (or even know how to do so.) At table, my mother quietly insisted I taste the dandelion greens, at least, so under my father's glare, I had a couple mouthsfull. They were bitter but okay.

During the weeks afterwards, did I continue to follow my grandmother's example and go into the yard to harvest dandelion greens? I'll let you answer that for yourselves.

P.S. I can see why psychologists say that our strongest memories are those that have emotions attached to them. I can see the entire dandelion-greens episode very, very clearly, in my mind's eye, and I would have been younger than ten at the time.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Many people do not get enough roughage into their diet.......quite a few of them apparently post in this forum, too,

The POINT was the special preparation of a poisonous plant's leaves for consumption by humans. Why bother? We have plenty of plants available as food. We are not so desperate that we need to harvest the poisonous ones, too. And, of course, it's possible that if we were to start specially preparing such plants, some folks would likely develop aversions and serious reactions to them just by touching them, before they ever even got to a kitchen for special preparations to "lessen the toxicity." Eh? Huh?

Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell/chili peppers are members of the deadly nightshade family, Solanaceae. Given your attitude concerning eating poisonous plants, I am sure you never eat any of those just listed. Am I right, Murph?

And then there are the cherry, peach, plum, almond, and apricot of which the leaves and seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside.

What's your point trying to be?
My point was trying to be why bother harvesting/ selecting a known poisonous plant to eat, in the first place, that had to be detoxified. Simply, step away and select something non-poisonous . Just a simple perspective, on my part.

[webenda]

The POINT was the special preparation of a poisonous plant's leaves for consumption by humans. Why bother? We have plenty of plants available as food. We are not so desperate that we need to harvest the poisonous ones, too. And, of course, it's possible that if we were to start specially preparing such plants, some folks would likely develop aversions and serious reactions to them just by touching them, before they ever even got to a kitchen for special preparations to "lessen the toxicity." Eh? Huh?

Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell/chili peppers are members of the deadly nightshade family, Solanaceae. Given your attitude concerning eating poisonous plants, I am sure you never eat any of those just listed. Am I right, Murph?

And then there are the cherry, peach, plum, almond, and apricot of which the leaves and seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside.

What's your point trying to be?
My point was trying to be why bother harvesting/ selecting a known poisonous plant to eat, in the first place, that had to be detoxified. Simply, step away and select something non-poisonous . Is that a difficult concept to have been suggested ?

My point is that almost all of us eat poisonous plants.

Yes, your suggestion is difficult because It would require research by people who just want to be told what is safe to eat--no research please! You didn't do your research or you would not be eating tomatoes, potatoes, etc, etc.

F.Y.I., Tomatoes and Potatoes contain the steroid alkaloid, solanine.

Solanine Poisoning Is Real. Solanine is indeed a poison in large doses, causing everything from gastrointestinal symptoms to hallucinations, paralysis and death.

A bitter taste in a tomato or potato is an indicator of toxicity. Because of the bitter taste and appearance (green) of such tomatoes and potatoes, solanine poisoning is rare outside conditions of food shortage. The symptoms are mainly vomiting and diarrhea, and the condition may be misdiagnosed as gastroenteritis. Cooking does not destroy solanine but ripening does. The residual solanine in tomatoes gives the tomato its tangy taste. I have never tasted it in a potato even though they have residuals too.

special preparations to "lessen the toxicity." Eh? Huh?

Is waiting for the fruit or tuber to ripen special preparation? It does "lessen the toxicity" so that they are safe to eat.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I have a vague memory of tomatoes having been considered as poisonous centuries ago , perhaps in Colonial America and in Italy itself.

In fact, I believe it was in America that pizzas began to be made to include tomato sauce .

I can recall going into pizza shops in Rome in the 1960's and seeing none of the pies possessed of tomato sauce; rather, possessed of cheese(s) and a raw egg plopped into the center. There, when pizza dough is baked without any topping, but for a generous drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt crystals , it is called "Focaccia". In some parts of Italy , the term "Pizza Bianca" (white pizza) is used.

I have heard that a number of "pizza shops" there have adapted to the American taste for tomato sauce/paste on pizza , due to tourism expectations.

[Roy]

Pizza, as we know it (made with tomato sauce), was introduced at American drive-in movie theaters. It was never an Italian food. Tomatoes are also from this side of the pond. The Italians fell in love with them, and started growing them in Italy. So, it's kind of ironic that Italians didn't invent pizza, as we know it.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Interesting, Roy. I continue to enjoy the wide variety of topics with which you are familiar and experienced. I'd enjoy, even more, your posting some pictures you might have that illustrate some of your points, as we go along, if it were comfortable for you. For example, I remember the photo you shared of your childhood home. That was very interesting and added some depth to becoming further acquainted with you.
Murph

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Pizza, as we know it (made with tomato sauce), was introduced at American drive-in movie theaters. It was never an Italian food. Tomatoes are also from this side of the pond. The Italians fell in love with them, and started growing them in Italy. So, it's kind of ironic that Italians didn't invent pizza, as we know it.

Pretty accurate; the import of the tomato was all the rage in Europe a few hundred years ago......

[healey36]

Pizza, as we know it (made with tomato sauce), was introduced at American drive-in movie theaters. It was never an Italian food. Tomatoes are also from this side of the pond. The Italians fell in love with them, and started growing them in Italy. So, it's kind of ironic that Italians didn't invent pizza, as we know it.

Pretty accurate; the import of the tomato was all the rage in Europe a few hundred years ago......

What? Wikipedia is wrong on this? Unbelievable...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_pizza

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I took note that on the link you provided, it said "Sicilian Pizza" was "focaccia with toppings" (such as tomato sauce). Interesting.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Pizza, as we know it (made with tomato sauce), was introduced at American drive-in movie theaters. It was never an Italian food. Tomatoes are also from this side of the pond. The Italians fell in love with them, and started growing them in Italy. So, it's kind of ironic that Italians didn't invent pizza, as we know it.

Pretty accurate; the import of the tomato was all the rage in Europe a few hundred years ago......

What? Wikipedia is wrong on this? Unbelievable...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_pizza

Well, Sicilians.....

[healey36]

Talk of Sicilians always reminds me of this Far Side cartoon:



Of course what makes this really funny (for me) is that the wiffle ball has the holes in it, not the bat. Larson stayed in the basement too much when he should have been outside playing with the other kids.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Larson stayed in the basement too much when he should have been outside playing with the other kids.

Imagine what he'd have been like in today's internet climate,

[chuck]

I prefer the one with the "Carl" the fish being fitted out with a set of styrofoam "shoes" and sent to sleep with the humans.

All time favorite is the two polar bears around an igloo with the comment, "I love these things, crunchy on the outside and a chewy center".