I wonder what tunicate species Julius Caesar's wife used to kill JC's
enemies. Ambassador Alan Davidson in his book, "Mediterranean Seafood"
has an entry for Microcosmus sulcatus called violet in French or figure
de mer.
He writes, "The yellow part inside, which is what you eat, looks like
scrambled egg and is considered to be a delicacy in Provence..... The
small violets of Marseille, Toulon and Hyeres are reputed to be the
best. The ones I ate in Marseille certainly tasted quite good, and were
fairly small. I have never faced up to a big one."
I see that http://www.solaster-mb.org/mb/tunicata.htm lists several
edible species... Amoung them Styela clava, eaten in Korea, which is
common in Guernsey. Has anyone on this list eaten this species and what
exactly does one eat?
Which Mediterranean species are considered toxic?
Yours sincerely,
Richard
Richard Lord
Guernsey GY1 1BQ
Tel: 01481 700688
Fax: 01481 700699
Email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Tunicate biology including chordate origins
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Arjan Gittenberger
Sent: 02 September 2004 13:23
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: first reference of natural products from ascidians
On page 736 of Harris(1992), it is written that
"Julius Caesar's wife is said to have eliminated his
rivals by serving them ascidians". Harris (use to
work/works? at the State University of New York) does
not cite his source.
Kind regards,
Arjan
C. Leon Harris, 1992. Concepts in zoology. Harper
Collins Publishers Inc., New York: 895pp, ISBN
0-06-042659-4.
--- "J.Barenbrock" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Dear Arjan,
> this would be perfect! As you said, itīs not what I
> was looking for, but
> it would be a wonderful introduction. So if it is
> not too much trouble I
> would be happy about this publication.
>
> Greetings,
> Jana
>
>
> Arjan Gittenberger schrieb:
>
> > Dear Jana,
> >
> > Although it might not be "the beginning" of
> "natural
> > product chemistry from tunicates", which you're
> > searching for...
> > The natural products/toxins in ascidians were
> already
> > used by the Romans. I remember a publication
> stating
> > that Julius Caesar used the toxin of tunicates to
> > eliminate opponents (e.g. after asking them over
> for
> > dinner).
> > It is not exactly the way that people want to
> use
> > the chemicals/compounds within tunicates nowadays
> :),
> > but it is probably the first time/way that people
> have
> > used the natural products of ascidians for a
> specific
> > purpose (& probably with much success). If you're
> > interested I can search for the article that
> mentions
> > this use.
> >
> > Kind regards
> > & good luck with your thesis,
> >
> > Arjan
> >
> > A. Gittenberger
> > PhD-student "Gastropod parasites and their coral
> > hosts"
> > (www.ascidians.com/oio/corals.htm)
> > National Museum of Natural History Naturalis
> > P.O. Box 9517, NL 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
> > E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> > The Dutch Ascidians Website: www.ascidians.com
> >
> > --- "J.Barenbrock"
> <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Dear tunicata scientists,
> > >
> > > I am writing my PhD thesis on natural products
> from
> > > ascidinas and need
> > > help in the search for the first reported
> natural
> > > product from
> > > ascidians. Is there something like "the start"
> of
> > > natural product
> > > chemistry from tunicates which is connected to a
> > > specific compound?
> > >
> > > Thanks a lot for help,
> > > Jana Barenbrock
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