2 HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



nut of the oak-tree, and was called by the Greeks B*\vo; ( 

 while in Latin it is called Glans. 



It appears to have been amongst the Grecian traditions 

 that of all trees the oak was made first, and that among 

 men the Arcadians were first created ; who for this rea- 

 son were compared to the oak. They were certainly 

 celebrated for their partiality to that sort of diet, since 

 they are distinguished in Lycophron by the name of 

 /3Aavij<payoi, acorn-eaters. Hence it was customary in 

 the marriage festivals of the Athenians, for a boy to 

 bring in a bough full of acorns and a plate covered with 

 bread, proclaiming ' E<puyov xaxov, svpw oipswov.' 1 have 

 escaped the worse and found the better which was 

 done in memory of their leaving the use of acorns for 

 that of bread. Most other nations in Greece also made 

 use of acorns. The inhabitants of Chios once held 

 out a long siege, whilst they were destitute of all 

 other food. 



Strabo tells us that in the mountainous parts of Spain 

 the inhabitants ground their acorns into meal. In a raw 

 state they are eaten to this day by the Spaniards, who 

 long retained them as a delicacy at the desserts. Cer- 

 vantes mentions them in his Don Quixote. But the Spa- 

 nish acorns are certainly of a sweeter nature than those 

 of England. Mrs. Stothard says in her tour in Brittany, 

 " I am informed that in the neighbourhood of Brest, the 

 lower orders resort to acorns as well as chesnuts for food, 

 which have some nutritious quality when boiled in milk.** 

 In times of scarcity and dearth of corn, they have been 

 ground and baked into bread both in this country and 

 in France ; but the taste of this bread is rough and dis- 

 agreeable ; and indeed acorns are said to be hard of di- 

 gestion and to cause head-aches and flatulence. Hence 

 Turner, who is the earliest English author on this subject 



