Literary notes about Edible (AI summary)
The term "edible" appears in literature across various genres, functioning both as a straightforward descriptor of food and as a metaphorical device. In culinary and botanical texts, authors use "edible" to detail which parts of plants or animals are fit for consumption, often providing a precise account of preparation methods, as seen in T. H. Pardo de Tavera’s and Apicius’s detailed descriptions ([1], [2], [3], [4]). In travel narratives and adventure literature, such as in Jules Verne’s work, "edible" frequently marks nature’s resources, highlighting both their practical use and the exotic allure they add to the story ([5], [6], [7], [8]). Even in literary works centered on cultural practices and etiquette, the term underscores a sensory engagement with food, adding nuance to social rituals surrounding eating ([9], [10], [11]). This breadth of usage demonstrates the word’s versatility, bridging technical descriptions with broader cultural and narrative functions.
- —This plant is edible, the natives eating it boiled, fried or in salad.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - It produces vinegar, an alcoholic drink called tuba or coco-wine , an oil, an edible nut, and its leaves are used instead of nipa to roof the huts.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - [1] Edible intestines, livers, lung, kidney, etc., are thus named.
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - [1] Variously spelled mytilus , mitylus , mutulus , an edible mussel.
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - the harpooner exclaimed, interested in fish only from an edible viewpoint.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - Later Captain Nemo had hundreds of them hunted because their black flesh is highly edible.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - "But some are edible," the harpooner replied.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - This flour was the starch–like sago, an edible substance chiefly consumed by the Melanesian peoples.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - If there are six or more, the chances are they are edible, and that one or two of a kind are embellishments only.
— from Etiquette by Emily Post - Artichokes Artichokes are always eaten with the fingers; a leaf at a time is pulled off and the edible end dipped in the sauce, and then bitten off.
— from Etiquette by Emily Post - Never touch anything edible with your fingers.
— from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness by Cecil B. Hartley
