Legend has it that sericulture (the raising of silkworms) began in China in 2640 BC. Silkworm eggs and seeds of the mulberry tree were supposedly smuggled to Constantinople in AD circa 550; thereafter, Byzantium was famed for its silk textiles. In the 8th century the Moors brought sericulture and silk weaving to Spain and Sicily, where exquisite silk fabrics were being woven by the 12th century. Italy developed great silk-weaving centers in Lucca, Florence, Venice, and Lyons during the 13th to 15th centuries. In 1685, Huguenots fled France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and they brought the silk weaving art to England, where it became centered at Spitalfields, in London. In the American colonies, attempts to establish sericulture ultimately failed. The Asian Bombyx mori, which feeds on mulberry leaves, produces the finest silk and is thus the most widely raised silkworm. The tussah worm of India and China, which feeds on oak leaves, makes wild silk. Silk manufacture begins with the reeling (unwinding) of the silk from the cocoons. In throwing, the raw silk is twisted and doubled to achieve various strengths and thicknesses. The silk is boiled in soap to remove the natural gum, then bleached or dyed. It is woven on delicate specialized looms to produce a wide variety of fabrics such as taffeta, faille, velvet, and crepe. Modern silk production is highly mechanized but the finest fabrics are still hand woven.