Page 138 - Mocarelli, Luca, and Aleksander Panjek. Eds. 2020. Maize to the People! Cultivation, Consumption and Trade in the North-Eastern Mediterranean (Sixteenth-Nineteenth Century). Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 138
maize to the people!
linguistic level, as the names for the plant and its crops changed during the
introduction and general adaptation of maize. Initially and for a long time
in the nineteenth century, maize was referred to as turšica/turščica, mean-
ing “Turkish wheat”, which had been derived directly from grano turco or
türkischer Weizen. During the nineteenth century, the term koruza be-
came established, which is a derivative of the Turkish term kokoroz/kuku-
ruz (FRAN 193). The Franciscean Cadastre attests to the fact that maize was
present, in larger or smaller quantities, throughout the territory. The two
surveys carried out in the Slovenian Styria during the pre-March period
confirmed the presence of maize in practically the entire territory of this
region (Kuret 1985–1993). It was least frequent in the central part of Slovenia
(Gospodarska 1970, 262), Carniola, and in Prekmurje, the easternmost re-
gion of the country.
The various dynamics were not only caused by different natural con-
ditions, however. The swifter expansion of maize in certain parts can be as-
cribed to the influences from the lands where it had established itself more
quickly. The western parts of Slovenia were in close contact with the Italian
lands, where maize had already become very frequent, for example in the
Padan Plain or Friuli, to list two of the most extreme cases. Good mod-
els encouraged the introduction of maize in the nearby fields. The Styrian
part of Slovenia is also an extension of the Pannonian Plain, where maize
production expanded rapidly, also in Croatia. The climate was favoura-
ble for maize as well, as a continental climate with warm and sufficient-
ly moist summer months is characteristic for the majority of the Slovenian
territory, which experts have been underlining since as early as the mid-
dle of the nineteenth century (Poskušnje 1850). Despite these factors, in
Prekmurje, which is a part of the Pannonian Plain and enjoys favourable
natural conditions, the introduction of maize was slower than in the other
regions. This fact is normally explained with the marginal position of the
Prekmurje region and its lag in the processes of economic and social mod-
ernization (Gospodarska 1970, 262–265). The different dynamics of maize
adaptation also depended on the social context rather than solely on the
economic one. The penetration of maize into Carniola supports this claim.
For a long time, the central part of the Slovenian territory was slow to in-
troduce maize, as the local population was strongly attached to buckwheat.
The fact that buckwheat was a stubble crop contributed to this, but maize
could fulfil the same function as well. The buckwheat tradition persisted
for a long time in the nineteenth century: with its superior production po-
136
linguistic level, as the names for the plant and its crops changed during the
introduction and general adaptation of maize. Initially and for a long time
in the nineteenth century, maize was referred to as turšica/turščica, mean-
ing “Turkish wheat”, which had been derived directly from grano turco or
türkischer Weizen. During the nineteenth century, the term koruza be-
came established, which is a derivative of the Turkish term kokoroz/kuku-
ruz (FRAN 193). The Franciscean Cadastre attests to the fact that maize was
present, in larger or smaller quantities, throughout the territory. The two
surveys carried out in the Slovenian Styria during the pre-March period
confirmed the presence of maize in practically the entire territory of this
region (Kuret 1985–1993). It was least frequent in the central part of Slovenia
(Gospodarska 1970, 262), Carniola, and in Prekmurje, the easternmost re-
gion of the country.
The various dynamics were not only caused by different natural con-
ditions, however. The swifter expansion of maize in certain parts can be as-
cribed to the influences from the lands where it had established itself more
quickly. The western parts of Slovenia were in close contact with the Italian
lands, where maize had already become very frequent, for example in the
Padan Plain or Friuli, to list two of the most extreme cases. Good mod-
els encouraged the introduction of maize in the nearby fields. The Styrian
part of Slovenia is also an extension of the Pannonian Plain, where maize
production expanded rapidly, also in Croatia. The climate was favoura-
ble for maize as well, as a continental climate with warm and sufficient-
ly moist summer months is characteristic for the majority of the Slovenian
territory, which experts have been underlining since as early as the mid-
dle of the nineteenth century (Poskušnje 1850). Despite these factors, in
Prekmurje, which is a part of the Pannonian Plain and enjoys favourable
natural conditions, the introduction of maize was slower than in the other
regions. This fact is normally explained with the marginal position of the
Prekmurje region and its lag in the processes of economic and social mod-
ernization (Gospodarska 1970, 262–265). The different dynamics of maize
adaptation also depended on the social context rather than solely on the
economic one. The penetration of maize into Carniola supports this claim.
For a long time, the central part of the Slovenian territory was slow to in-
troduce maize, as the local population was strongly attached to buckwheat.
The fact that buckwheat was a stubble crop contributed to this, but maize
could fulfil the same function as well. The buckwheat tradition persisted
for a long time in the nineteenth century: with its superior production po-
136
