Avodah Zarah, Lammed Het, Part 4
Introduction
This section deals with a few other foods to which the prohibition of food cooked by Gentiles does not apply.
ת"ר הקפריסין והקפלוטות והמטליא והחמין והקליות שלהן מותרין ביצה צלויה אסורה שמן רבי יהודה הנשיא ובית דינו נמנו עליו והתירוהו
Our rabbis taught: The caper-flower, leeks, matalya, hot water and roasted ears of grain roasted are permitted, but a roasted egg is prohibited.
As regards oil [made by non-Jews], R. Yehudah Hanasi and his Court took a vote on it and declared it permitted.
The foods in the first half of this baraita are not changed sufficiently when they are cooked for them to be prohibited if cooked by a non-Jew.
As we learned above, oil was initially forbidden but was permitted by a later court.
תניא היא המטליא היא פשליא היא שיעתא. מאי שיעתא? ארבב"ח אמר רבי יוחנן הא ארבעין שנין דנפיק האי עובדא ממצרים ורבה בר בר חנה דידיה אמר הא שתין שנין דנפיק האי עובדא ממצרים ולא פליגי מר בשניה ומר בשניה מייתו ביזרא דכרפסא וביזרא דכיתנא וביזרא דשבלילתא ותרו להו בהדי הדדי בפשורי ושבקו ליה עד דמקבל ומייתי חצבי חדתי ומלו להו מיא ותרו בהו גרגישתא ומדבקין ביה ועיילין לבי בני אדנפקו מלבלבי ואכלי מינייהו וקיירי מבינתא דרישייהו עד טופרא דכרעייהו
It has been taught: The rule which applies to liver-wort holds good also of the beans called pesilya and Egyptian beans [shi’atha]. What is shi’ata?
Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan: It is forty years since this preparation was imported from Egypt; while Rabbah b. Bar Hanah himself said: It is sixty years since this preparation was imported from Egypt. There is no contradiction since each [sage] stated according to the years of his own life.
[The manner of its preparation is as follows:] Take the seeds of parsley, flax and fenugreek, soak them together in lukewarm water and leave them until they begin to sprout. Then take new earthenware pots, fill them with water and soak in them red clay into which the seeds are planted. After that go to the bathhouse and by the time of coming out they will have blossomed, and on eating of them you will feel cooled from the hair of the head down to the toe-nails.
This section explains how one makes shiata a dish that comes from Egypt. The amazing thing with shiata seems to be that it grows very quickly.
אמר רב אשי אמר לי רבי חנינא מילין ואמרי לה במילין
R. Ashi said: R. Hanina told me that this is an empty tale;
Others say [he told him that this was done] through magical incantations.
According to the first statement, the story of the fast-growing shiata is just a tale. Nothing can really grow that fast.
According to the second, such incredible growth can be achieved. Through magic!