King Herod's brother, after refusing to go though with a poisoning plot against Herod, was himself poisoned and his wife accused of the crime. My historical source, Flavius Josephus, says the poison was administered when the brother ate something "unfamiliar."
My MC is the wife. Naming a poison isn't the problem. A little Googling got me dozens of poisonous plants that could be added to the food. But as it's a pretty important turn in her life I don't think I can sluff off just what he's eating and therein lies the problem.
The man's royalty, so he would have had a lot more experience than the average peasant with exotic dishes. I've been trying to find something that he might be "unfamiliar" with and haven't been having a lot of luck. (I did find a carrot museum in the UK and lots of other interesting things, but they didn't help with the WIP.)
The real poisoner has just arrived back from Arabia. Can anyone think of a food in 6BC that would have been available in Arabia yet uncommon in Judaea?
My MC is the wife. Naming a poison isn't the problem. A little Googling got me dozens of poisonous plants that could be added to the food. But as it's a pretty important turn in her life I don't think I can sluff off just what he's eating and therein lies the problem.
The man's royalty, so he would have had a lot more experience than the average peasant with exotic dishes. I've been trying to find something that he might be "unfamiliar" with and haven't been having a lot of luck. (I did find a carrot museum in the UK and lots of other interesting things, but they didn't help with the WIP.)
The real poisoner has just arrived back from Arabia. Can anyone think of a food in 6BC that would have been available in Arabia yet uncommon in Judaea?
I agree with you, Smiling Ted. I think GeorgeK has come up with the winner. Mushrooms are rather notorious for inadvertently poisoning people. Fits the historical facts, too: the wife wasn't accused until after the funeral, long after the evidence was gone.