I-Silphium: Isitshalo esiyisimangaliso esilahlekile sasendulo

Naphezu kokunyamalala kwayo, ifa leSilphium lihlala likhona. Kungenzeka ukuthi lesi sitshalo sisakhula endle eNyakatho ne-Afrika, esingaziwa yizwe lanamuhla.

Eyaziwa ngokusetshenziswa kwayo okuningi kwezokwelapha nezokupheka, iyinganekwane yesimangaliso sesayensi yezitshalo esanyamalala, sashiya umkhondo wozungu nokuthakasela okusaqhubeka nokudonsa abacwaningi namuhla.

I-Silphium, isitshalo esalahleka isikhathi eside esinomlando ocebile wezilinganiso zenganekwane, yayiyigugu eliyigugu lezwe lasendulo.
I-Silphium, isitshalo esalahleka isikhathi eside esinomlando ocebile wezilinganiso zenganekwane, yayiyigugu eliyigugu lezwe lasendulo. © I-Wikimedia Commons.

I-Silphium, isitshalo sasendulo esasinendawo ekhethekile ezinhliziyweni zamaRoma namaGreki, kungenzeka ukuthi sisekhona, thina singazi. Lesi sitshalo esingaqondakali, esake saba impahla eyigugu yama-emperors futhi sasiyisisekelo emakhishini asendulo nasezikhungweni zokupholisa, sasiyisidakamizwa esimangalisayo. Ukunyamalala kwalesi sitshalo emlandweni kuyindaba ethakazelisayo yokufunwa nokushabalala. Kuyisimangaliso sakudala sesayensi yezitshalo esashiya umkhondo wokuthakasela nokuthakasela okusaqhubeka nokudonsa abacwaningi namuhla.

I-Silphium edumile

I-Silphium yayiyisitshalo esifunwa kakhulu, esazalelwa esifundeni saseKhurene eNyakatho Afrika, manje eyiShahhat yanamuhla, eLibya. Kubikwa ukuthi bekungowohlobo lwe-Ferula, oluhlanganisa izitshalo ezivame ukubizwa ngokuthi "ama-giant fennels". Lesi sitshalo sasibonakala ngezimpande zaso eziqinile ezimbozwe amagxolo amnyama, isiqu esingenalutho esifana ne-fennel, namaqabunga afana ne-celery.

Imizamo yokutshala iSilphium ngaphandle kwesifunda sayo, ikakhulukazi eGreece, ayiphumelelanga. Isitshalo sasendle sachuma eKhurene kuphela, lapho sadlala indima ebalulekile emnothweni wendawo futhi sahwetshwa kakhulu neGrisi neRoma. Inani layo elibalulekile liboniswa ezinhlamvu zemali zaseKhurene, ezazivame ukuba nezithombe zeSilphium noma imbewu yayo.

I-Silphium: Isitshalo esiyisimangaliso esilahlekile sasendulo 1
Uhlamvu lwemali lukaMagas waseKhurene c. 300–282/75 BC. Reverse: i-silphium nezimpawu ezincane zenkalankala. © Wikimedia Commons

Isidingo seSilphium sasiphezulu kangangokuthi kuthiwa sasilingana nesisindo sayo ngesiliva. Umbusi waseRoma u-Awugustu wafuna ukulawula ukusatshalaliswa kwayo ngokufuna ukuba zonke izivuno zeSilphium neziphuzo zayo zithunyelwe kuye njengenkokhiso eRoma.

I-Silphium: intokozo yokupheka

I-Silphium yayiyisithako esidumile emhlabeni wokupheka waseGrisi naseRoma lasendulo. Izinhlanga namaqabunga ayo kwakusetshenziselwa isinongo, ngokuvamile kugayiwe phezu kokudla okufana ne-parmesan noma kuhlanganiswe nososo nosawoti. Amaqabunga nawo ayenezelwa kumasaladi ukuze kube nempilo engcono, kuyilapho iziqu eziqatha zazijatshulelwa zithosiwe, zibilisiwe, noma zishiswe.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, zonke izingxenye zesitshalo, kuhlanganise nezimpande, zadliwa. Izimpande zazivame ukujatshulelwa ngemva kokucwiliswa kuviniga. Ukukhulunywa okuphawulekayo kwe-Silphium ekudleni kwasendulo kungatholakala ku-De Re Coquinaria - incwadi yokupheka yaseRoma yekhulu le-5 ka-Apicius, ehlanganisa iresiphi "ye-oxygarum sauce", i-sauce ethandwayo yenhlanzi kanye ne-vinegar eyayisebenzisa i-Silphium phakathi kwezithako zayo eziyinhloko.

I-Silphium yayibuye isetshenziselwe ukuthuthukisa ukunambitheka kwezikhwebu zikaphayini, okwabe sekusetshenziselwa ukonga izitsha ezihlukahlukene. Ngokuthakazelisayo, iSilphium ayizange idliwe abantu nje kuphela kodwa futhi yayisetshenziselwa ukukhuluphalisa izinkomo nezimvu, okusolwa ukuthi yenza inyama ibe mnandi uma ihlatshwa.

I-Silphium: isimangaliso sezokwelapha

UPliny Omdala waphawula izinzuzo zeSilphium njengesithako nomuthi
UPliny Omdala waphawula izinzuzo zeSilphium njengesithako nomuthi. © I-Wikimedia Commons.

Ezinsukwini zokuqala zemithi yesimanje, iSilphium yathola indawo yayo njenge-panacea. Incwadi yeencyclopedic yombhali ongumRoma uPliny Omdala, i-Naturalis Historia, ivame ukukhuluma ngoSilphium. Ngaphezu kwalokho, odokotela abadumile abanjengoGalen noHippocrates babhala ngezinqubo zabo zokwelapha besebenzisa iSilphium.

I-Silphium yanqunywa njengesithako sokwelapha zonke izifo eziningi, okuhlanganisa ukukhwehlela, umphimbo obuhlungu, ikhanda elibuhlungu, imfiva, isithuthwane, i-goiters, warts, hernias, kanye "nokukhula kwe-anus". Ngaphezu kwalokho, i-poultice ye-Silphium kwakukholelwa ukuthi yelapha izimila, ukuvuvukala kwenhliziyo, amazinyo, ngisho nesifo sofuba.

Kodwa akugcini lapho. I-Silphium yayisetshenziselwa futhi ukuvimbela i-tetanus namarabi ekulunyweni yizinja ze-feral, ukukhulisa izinwele zalabo abane-alopecia, kanye nokwenza kube nzima komama abakhulelwe.

I-Silphium: i-aphrodisiac kanye nokuvimbela inzalo

Ngaphandle kokusetshenziswa kwayo kwezokupheka nokwelapha, iSilphium yaziwa ngezindawo zayo zokuvusa inkanuko futhi yayibhekwa njengendlela yokulawula inzalo ephumelela kakhulu emhlabeni ngaleso sikhathi. Imbewu yesitshalo emise okwenhliziyo kwakukholelwa ukuthi yandisa i-libido emadodeni futhi ibangele ukuqhanyelwa.

Umfanekiso obonisa i-silphium's (eyaziwa nangokuthi i-silphion) imbewu yezinhlamvu ezimise okwenhliziyo.
Umfanekiso obonisa i-silphium's (eyaziwa nangokuthi i-silphion) imbewu yezinhlamvu ezimise okwenhliziyo. © Wikimedia Commons.

Kwabesifazane, i-Silphium yayisetshenziselwa ukuphatha izinkinga zamahomoni kanye nokuyenga ukuya esikhathini. Ukusetshenziswa kwesitshalo njengendlela yokuvimbela inzalo kanye ne-abortifacient kuqoshwe kabanzi. Abesifazane babedla iSilphium exutshwe newayini ukuze “bahambise ukuya esikhathini”, umkhuba obhalwe nguPliny Omdala. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kukholakala ukuthi inqamula ukukhulelwa okukhona ngokubangela ukuchitheka kolwelwesi lwesibeletho, ukuvimbela ukukhula kombungu futhi kuholele ekukhishweni kwayo esibelethweni.
umzimba.

Ukuma kwenhliziyo kwembewu ye-silphium kungenzeka kube umthombo wophawu lwenhliziyo yendabuko, isithombe esiqashelwa umhlaba wonke sothando namuhla.

Ukunyamalala kweSilphium

Naphezu kokusetshenziswa kwayo kabanzi nokuthandwa, iSilphium yanyamalala emlandweni. Ukushabalala kweSilphium kuyindaba yempikiswano eqhubekayo. Ukuvuna ngokweqile bekungaba neqhaza elikhulu ekulahlekeni kwalolu hlobo lwezilwane. Njengoba iSilphium yayingakhula ngempumelelo endle eKhurene, insimu yayingase isetshenziswe ngokweqile ngenxa yeminyaka yokuvuna isilimo.

Ngenxa yenhlanganisela yemvula nomhlabathi ocebile ngamaminerali, kwaba nemingcele yokuthi zingaki izitshalo ezazingatshalwa ngesikhathi esisodwa eKhurene. Kuthiwa abaseKhurene bazama ukulinganisa isivuno. Kodwa-ke, lesi sitshalo sagcina sivunwe saze sashabalala ekupheleni kwekhulu lokuqala AD.

Isiqu sokugcina sesiliva kubikwa ukuthi savunwa futhi sanikezwa uMbusi waseRoma uNero “njengeyinqaba.” NgokukaPliny Omdala, uNero wasidla ngokushesha lesi sipho (ngokusobala, wayengaziswanga kahle ngokusetshenziswa kwalesi sitshalo).

Ezinye izici ezinjengokuklaba kwezimvu ngokweqile, ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu, kanye nogwadule kungase kube nomthelela ekwenzeni indawo ezungezile nomhlabathi kungafaneleki ukuba iSilphium ikhule.

Inkumbulo ephilayo?

Ikhambi lasendulo kungenzeka licashe ngokusobala njengefennel enkulu yeTangier
Ikhambi lasendulo kungenzeka licashe ngokusobala njengefennel enkulu yeTangier. © Isizinda esisesidlangalaleni.

Naphezu kokunyamalala kwayo, ifa leSilphium lihlala likhona. Ngokwabanye abacwaningi, kungenzeka ukuthi lesi sitshalo sisakhula endle eNyakatho ne-Afrika, izwe lanamuhla elingasiboni. Kuze kube yilapho kutholakala lokho kutholakala, iSilphium isalokhu iyimpicabadala - isitshalo esake saba nendawo ehlonishwayo emiphakathini yasendulo, manje esilahlekelwe yisikhathi.

Ngakho-ke, ucabanga ukuthi amasimu eSilphium kungenzeka asaqhakaza, angaziwa, ndawana thize eNyakatho Afrika?