''Cantarella'' was a

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

allegedly used by the Borgias during the papacy of

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...

. It may have been

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

, came in the shape of "a white powder with a pleasant taste", and was sprinkled on food or in wine. If it did exist, it left no trace in the works of contemporary writers.

Etymology

The exact origin of the term ''cantarella'' is unknown. It may have been derived from '' kantharos'' (), a type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking, or the

Neo-Latin Neo-LatinSidwell, Keith ''Classical Latin-Medieval Latin-Neo Latin'' in ; others, throughout. (also known as New Latin and Modern Latin) is the style of written Latin used in original literary, scholarly, and scientific works, first in Italy d ...

word ('small cup'), in reference to the cups in which the poison would have been served. The word may also be related to ''kantharis'' (Ancient Greek: ), referring to the Spanish fly and other blister beetles that secrete cantharidin, a substance that is poisonous in large doses.

References

Arsenic House of Borgia Poisons {{Italy-hist-stub