A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age (The Cultural Histories Series, 4)

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries form a very distinctive period in European food history. This was a time when enduring feudal constraints in some areas contrasted with widening geographical horizons and the emergence of a consumer society.While cereal based diets and small scale trade continued to be the mainstay of the general population, elite tastes shifted from Renaissance opulence toward the greater simplicity and elegance of dining à la française. At the same time, growing spatial mobility and urbanization boosted the demand for professional cooking and commercial catering. An unprecedented wealth of artistic, literary and medical discourses on food and drink allows fascinating insights into contemporary responses to these transformations. A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally. A Cultural History of Food presents an authoritative survey from ancient times to the present. This set of six volumes covers nearly 3,000 years of food and its physical, spiritual, social and cultural dimensions. 1. A Cultural History of Food in Antiquity (800 BCE - 500 CE) 2. A Cultural History of Food in the Medieval Age (500 - 1300) 3. A Cultural History of Food in the Renaissance (1300 - 1600) 4. A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age (1600 - 1800) 5. A Cultural History of Food in the Age of Empire (1800 - 1900) 6. A Cultural History of Food in the Modern Age (1920 - 2000) Each volume discusses the same themes in its chapters: 1. Food Production 2. Food Systems 3. Food Security, Safety and Crises 4. Food and Politics 5. Eating Out 6. Professional Cooking, Kitchens and Service Work 7. Family and Domesticity 8. Body and Soul 9. Food Representations 10. World Developments This structure means readers can either have a broad overview of a period by reading a volume or follow a theme through history by reading the relevant chapter in each volume. Superbly illustrated, the full six volume set combines to present the most authoritative and comprehensive survey available on food through history A Cultural History of Food presents an authoritative survey from ancient times to the present. This set of six volumes covers over 2500 years of food and its physical, spiritual, social and cultural dimensions. 1. A Cultural History of Food in Classical Antiquity (800 BCE 500 CE) 2. A Cultural History of Food in the Medieval Age (500 1300) 3. A Cultural History of Food in the Renaissance (1300 1600) 4. A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age (1600 1800) 5. A Cultural History of Food in the Age of Empire (1800 1900) 6. A Cultural History of Food in the Modern Age (1920 2000) Each volume discusses the same themes in its 1. Food Production 2. Food Systems 3. Food Security, Safety and Crises 4. Food and Politics 5. Eating Out 6. Professional Cooking, Kitchens and Service Work 7. Family and Domesticity 8. Body and Soul 9. Food Representations 10. World Developments This structure means readers can either have a broad overview of a period by reading a volume or follow a theme through history by reading the relevant chapter in each volume. Superbly illustrated, the full six volume set combines to present the most authoritative and comprehensive survey available on food through history. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries form a very distinctive period in European food history. This was a time when enduring feudal constraints in some areas contrasted with widening geographical horizons and the emergence of a consumer society. While cereal based diets and small scale trade continued to be the mainstay of the general population, elite tastes shifted from Renaissance opulence toward the greater simplicity and elegance of dining a la francaise. At the same time, growing spatial mobility and urbanization boosted the demand for professional cooking and commercial catering. An unprecedented wealth of artistic, literary and medical discourses on food and drink allows fascinating insights into contemporary responses to these transformations. A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally The nineteenth-century West saw extraordinary economic growth and cultural change. This volume explores and explains the birth of the modern world through the food it produced and consumed. The nineteenth-century West saw extraordinary economic growth and cultural change. This volume explores and explains the birth of the modern world through the food it produced and consumed. Food security vastly improved though malnutrition and famines persisted. Scientific research radically altered the ways in which food and its relation to the body were conceived: efficiency became the watchword, norms the measure, and standardized goods the rule. At the same time, the art of food became a luxury pursuit as interest in gastronomy soared. A Cultural History of Food in the Age of Empire presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally Europe was formed in the Middle Ages. The merging of the traditions of Roman-Mediterranean societies with the customs of Northern Europe created new political, economic, social and religious structures and practices. Between 500 and 1300 CE, food in all its manifestations, from agriculture to symbol, became ever more complex and integral to Europe's culture and economy. The period saw the growth of culinary literature, the introduction of new spices and cuisines as a result of trade and war, the impact of the Black Death on food resources, the widening gap between what was eaten by the rich and what by the poor, as well as the influence of religion on food rituals. A Cultural History of Food in the Medieval Age presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally "In the modern age (1920-2000), vast technological innovation spurred greater concentration, standardization, and globalization of the food supply. As advances in agricultural production in the post-World War II era propelled population growth, a significant portion of the population gained access to cheap, industrially produced food while significant numbers remained mired in hunger and malnutrition. Further, as globalization allowed unprecedented access to foods from all parts of the globe, it also hastened environmental degradation, contributed to poor health, and remained a key element in global politics, economics and culture. A Cultural History of Food in the Modern Age presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally."--Cover Food and attitudes toward it were transformed in Renaissance Europe. The period between 1300 and 1600 saw the discovery of the New World and the cultivation of new foodstuffs, as well as the efflorescence of culinary literature in European courts and eventually in the popular press, and most importantly the transformation of the economy on a global scale. Food became the object of rigorous investigation among physicians, theologians, agronomists and even poets and artists. Concern with eating was, in fact, central to the cultural dynamism we now recognize as the Renaissance. A Cultural History of Food in the Renaissance presents an overview of the period with essays on food production, food systems, food security, safety and crises, food and politics, eating out, professional cooking, kitchens and service work, family and domesticity, body and soul, representations of food, and developments in food production and consumption globally Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Series Preface 9 Introduction 13 1. Food Production 25 2. Food Systems: Central–Decentral Networks 41 3. Food Security, Safety, and Crises 59 4. Food and Politics: The Power of Bread in European Culture 77 5. Eating Out in Early Modern Europe 99 6. Professional Cooking, Kitchens, and Service Work: Accomplisht Cookery 115 7. Family and Domesticity: Cooking, Eating, and Making Homes 135 8. Body and Soul, or Living Physically in the Kitchen 155 9. Food Representations in Early Modern Europe: Powerful Appetites 177 10. World Developments: The Early Modern Age 197 Notes 213 Bibliography 235 Notes on Contributors 271 Index 275 A Cultural History Of Food Presents An Authoritative Survey From Ancient Times To The Present. This Set Of Six Volumes Covers Nearly 3,000 Years Of Food And Its Physical, Spiritual, Social And Cultural Dimensions.-- V. 1. In Antiquity / Edited By Paul Erdkamp -- V. 2. In The Medieval Age / Edited By Massimo Montanari -- V. 3. In The Renaissance / Edited By Ken Albala -- V. 4. In The Early Modern Age / Edited By Beat Kümin -- V. 5. In The Age Of Empire / Edited By Martin Bruegel -- V. 6. In The Modern Age / Edited By Amy Bentley. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The most definitive overview of food through history, covering topics as diverse as the profession of food production, to family and the politics of food.