Asian Bird Cherry

今天讀一段Herodotus，提到古代The Scythian Agrippaei 吃一種奇特果實維生:  ponticum (Htd. 4.23)。從Herodotus的希臘觀點看，Scythian也是遊牧民族，風俗習慣與飲食生活都很奇特，吃野果似乎很不可思議。若從宇宙觀點觀看，顯然，大地無盡寶藏，人的生存自有道理。

Bird Cherry or Hackberry or Asian Bird Cherry Ποντικός Prunus Padus

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ποντικὸν μὲν οὔνομα τῷ δενδρέῳ ἀπ᾽ οὗ ζῶσι, μέγαθος δὲ κατὰ συκέην μάλιστά κῃ. καρπὸν δὲ φορέει κυάμῳ ἴσον, πυρῆνα δὲ ἔχει. τοῦτο ἐπεὰν γένηται πέπον, σακκέουσι ἱματίοισι, ἀπορρέει δὲ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ παχὺ καὶ μέλαν: οὔνομα δὲ τῷ ἀπορρέοντι ἐστὶ ἄσχυ: τοῦτο καὶ λείχουσι καὶ γάλακτι συμμίσγοντες πίνουσι, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς παχύτητος αὐτοῦ τῆς τρυγὸς παλάθας συντιθεῖσι καὶ ταύτας σιτέονται. (Htd. 4.23.3).

The tree by which they live is called “Pontic”; it is about the size of a fig-tree, and bears a fruit as big as a bean, with a stone in it. When this fruit is ripe, they strain it through cloth, and a thick black liquid comes from it, which they call “aschu”; they lick this up or drink it mixed with milk, and from the thickest lees of it they make cakes, and eat them.

下面圖片來源: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_padus