Brassicaceae family (aka  Cruciferae because of their flowers are cross shaped) are leaving the market and the  Solanaceae are coming. The  Brassicaceae family includes kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, watercress, tatsoi, arugula, bok choy, and other similar plants. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and eggplant are in the  Solanaceae family. These solanaceous plants are important food, particularly potatoes which, worldwide, are the fourth most important staple crop, proceeded corn, wheat, and rice. However, this famous, important, family also has a dark side in that it contains some of the world's most poisonous plants. 

 

The common name for  Solanaceae is nightshades. The etymology of the family name is not clear. Maybe it comes from the sun-shaped flowers, maybe it comes from a once-held belief that the plants grew at night; maybe it comes from fear of the poisonous members of the family.  Real killers are belladonna, mandrake, angel's trumpet, and tobacco.  

 

Belladonna means beautiful lady in Italian. One of its effects is to dilate the pupils which supposedly made women more attractive in that this indicated a woman was aroused or interested in her company. It contains tropane alkaloid compounds that can cause hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions. Mashed berries and tinctures were used as medicines in the past to relive pain, relax the muscles, and as an anti-inflammatory. However, correct dosing was difficult and it was a known poison, hence, its other name-deadly nightshade. 

 

And then there is tobacco with its addicting psychoactive compound nicotine, once one of my favorite poisons. It is  Solanaceae's most successful killers. It is estimated that 5 million people die each year from the effects of tobacco use.  

 

But to end on a more positive note-consider potatoes. They were brought to Western Europe in the 16 thcentury and quickly became a key staple which, according to the  Cambridge World History of Food, was responsible for eliminating famine in Europe by the 19 th century. Staple foods are those foods the traditionally provide the most calories in a population's diet, and potatoes were such a boon because they provide nearly 3 times more calories per land area than wheat, barley, or rye. Thus, potatoes, greens, and meat, milk, or eggs from farm animals provided a basis for a nutritious diet, and by the 1840s rural subsistence farmers in Ireland were eating from 5 to 10 pounds of potatoes per day.    

 

Next week-mandrakes and tomatoes.