#FIGLEAF PERIOD FULL#

Like several other cucurbits, fig-leaf gourd consumption by diabetic patients has a hypoglycaemic effect, making it an appropriate medicine against diabetes mellitus. It gives the grafted crop increased cold tolerance and high resistance to soilborne pathogens and increases the resistance to Pythium and powdery mildew. Fig-leaf gourd is used in temperate countries as a rootstock for greenhouse cucumber (western Europe, Korea, China, Japan) and for melon and watermelon (Korea, China, Japan). In Europe, fig-leaf gourd is also cultivated as an ornamental because of its decorative white-spotted dark green fruits. Also in Spain, the fruits are used for jam preparation. The flesh of mature fruits is impregnated with sugar for preparation of a candy or jam, mature fruits are fermented for an alcoholic beverage, male flowers and buds are used in soups, stews and salads, and the raw or roasted seeds are eaten as a snack food. In Latin America and the Philippines tender young fruits are used like summer squash ( Cucurbita pepo L.). However, they are used to prepare an alcoholic drink. Young fruits are occasionally eaten as a cooked vegetable like pumpkin, but in most places in Kenya and Tanzania the fruits are considered not edible. In Kenya, where it is known as ‘kahurura’ (Kikuyu), and in Tanzania, where the vegetable is known as ‘boga la kimasai’ (Swahili), the leaves are prepared in a mixture with maize, pulses, green bananas or Irish potato. In East Africa mainly the leaves are eaten. In Asia it is grown in India, Japan, Korea and China and in the highlands of the Philippines.įig-leaf gourd is grown as a vegetable for the leaves and the immature fruits. Fig-leaf gourd occurs in tropical Africa in the highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania and is occasionally grown in Angola. The first fruits to reach Europe apparently took a circuitous route from South America to the Malabar Coast of India along the much travelled trade routes in the 16 th and 17 th centuries, hence the vernacular names in English and French. Fig-leaf gourd, Malabar gourd, black-seeded gourd (En).Ĭucurbita ficifolia is a cultigen originating from highland regions of Latin America (from Mexico to Chile) where it is still widely cultivated.Cucurbita melanosperma A.Braun ex Gasp.Family: Cucurbitaceae Chromosome number: 2 n = 40 Synonyms In addition, there are several other reasons why fig leaves and penises go well together.Female (left) and male flower (front tepals removed) One explanation is a passage in the bible that mentions that Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves after eating the forbidden fruit.

#FIGLEAF PERIOD FULL#

To discover his identity we invite you to watch the full episode of Museum Secrets: Inside the Vatican.īut we will reveal why the fig leaf was the cover-up of choice. We won't reveal the name of the censorious Pope here. One Pope took the bull by the horns (so to speak) by ordering every penis covered with a carved, sculpted or painted fig leaf. The important thing is that the accusations gained traction with new Protestants and disgruntled Catholics throughout Europe.Īnd so, even though Catholic church leaders were not a prudish lot, they realized they must respond or risk losing their flock. But the truth of the matter is not the important thing. The Protestant accusations were at least partly true. Politically, to achieve their goal of converting every Catholic, Protestant leaders accused the Pope and his Cardinals of abuse of power, corruption, extravagance and perversion. Theologically, Protestantism strives for a simpler more direct connection with God.

In theological terms, a perfect nude sculpture is a reminder that god created man 'in his image.' And that's why, during the Renaissance, the Vatican filled up with nude imagery in frescoes and statuary.īut then the Protestant Reformation came along. These values included the celebration of the ideal human form in all its glory. The secrets are revealed in the premiere broadcast of Museum Secrets: Inside the Vatican Museums.ĭuring the Renaissance, artists, philosophers and clergy became enthralled with 'classical' values - by which they meant the culture, as they understood it, of ancient Greece. Where did this notion come from? Who started it? And who decided to cover up every penis in the Vatican? But during the Renaissance that changed, and for the first time a naked body was 'dirty.' Once, when religious art was young, nudity symbolized purity. When did penises become offensive? And who covered them up?

Figleaf period