Cabbages, the alimentary reputation of which dates from the remotest times, were already of several kinds, most of which have descended to us; amongst them may be mentioned the apple-headed, the Roman, the white, the common white head, the Easter cabbage, &c.; but the one held in the highest estimation was the famous cabbage of Senlis, whose leaves, says an ancient author, when opened, exhaled a smell more agreeable than musk or amber.  This species no doubt fell into disuse when the plan of employing aromatic herbs in cooking, which was so much in repute by our ancestors, was abandoned.

[Illustration:  Fig. 79.—­Coat-of-arms of the Grain-measurers of Ghent, on their Ceremonial Banner, dated 1568.]

By a strange coincidence, at the same period as marjoram, carraway seed, sweet basil, coriander, lavender, and rosemary were used to add their pungent flavour to sauces and hashes, on the same tables might be found herbs of the coldest and most insipid kinds, such as mallows, some kinds of mosses, &c.

Cucumber, though rather in request, was supposed to be an unwholesome vegetable, because it was said that the inhabitants of Forez, who ate much of it, were subject to periodical fevers, which might really have been caused by noxious emanation from the ponds with which that country abounded.  Lentils, now considered so wholesome, were also long looked upon as a doubtful vegetable; according to Liebault, they were difficult to digest and otherwise injurious; they inflamed the inside, affected the sight, and brought on the nightmare, &c.  On the other hand, small fresh beans, especially those sold at Landit fair, were used in the most delicate repasts; peas passed as a royal dish in the sixteenth century, when the custom was to eat them with salt pork.

Turnips were also most esteemed by the Parisians.  “This vegetable is to them,” says Charles Estienne, “what large radishes are to the Limousins.”  The best were supposed to come from Maisons, Vaugirard, and Aubervilliers.  Lastly, there were four kinds of lettuces grown in France, according to Liebault, in 1574:  the small, the common, the curled, and the Roman:  the seed of the last-named was sent to France by Francois Rabelais when he was in Rome with Cardinal du Bellay in 1537; and the salad made from it consequently received the name of Roman salad, which it has ever since retained.  In fact, our ancestors much appreciated salads, for there was not a banquet without at least three or four different kinds.

Fruits.—­Western Europe was originally very poor in fruits, and it only improved by foreign importations, mostly from Asia by the Romans.  The apricot came from Armenia, the pistachio-nuts and plums from Syria, the peach and nut from Persia, the cherry from Cerasus, the lemon from Media, the filbert from the Hellespont, and chestnuts from Castana, a town of Magnesia.  We are also indebted to Asia for almonds; the pomegranate, according to some, came from Africa, to others from Cyprus; the quince from Cydon in Crete; the olive, fig, pear, and apple, from Greece.