On Monday, November 19, 2001 at 11:11:24 AM UTC-8, Deborah Wright wrote:
Hi!

I know this isn't, strictly speaking, about an Historic Food, but I hope
somebody can help me here.

'The Histories' by Herodotus (circa 5th century BC Greece) refer to
"drinking bull's blood" as a way to commit suicide. One of the 'Falco'
novels (70's AD Rome) also mentions this. In 'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean
Rhys (1830's Jamaica) the Jamaican servant offers strong coffee to her hated
master saying "Taste my bull's blood".

Since drinking bull's blood generally isn't fatal I take this to be the once
common discription for some kind of poison, the identity of which has since
been forgotten. Does anybody know what bull's blood really was in this
connotation, please?

The only promising result I had searching the internet was a reference to
Bull's Blood Beetroot - but I rapidly concluded that the only way this could
prove fatal would be if someone swollowed one whole and choked! A less than
noble end.

Thanks,

Deborah
*******

it's u
off