Medieval Tastes: Food, Cooking, and the Table (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

In His New History Of Food, Acclaimed Historian Massimo Montanari Traces The Development Of Medieval Tastes--both Culinary And Cultural--from Raw Materials To Market And Captures Their Reflections In Today's Food Trends. Tying The Ingredients Of Our Diet Evolution To The Growth Of Human Civilization, He Immerses Readers In The Passionate Debates And Bold Inventions That Transformed Food From A Simple Staple To A Potent Factor In Health And A Symbol Of Social And Ideological Standing. Montanari Returns To The Prestigious Salerno School Of Medicine, The Mother Of All Medical Schools, To Plot The Theory Of Food That Took Shape In The Twelfth Century. He Reviews The Influence Of The Near Eastern Spice Routes, Which Introduced New Flavors And Cooking Techniques To European Kitchens, And Reads Europe's Earliest Cookbooks, Which Took Cues From Old Roman Practices That Valued Artifice And Mixed Flavors. Dishes Were Largely Low-fat, And Meats And Fish Were Seasoned With Vinegar, Citrus Juices, And Wine. He Highlights Other Dishes, Habits, And Battles That Mirror Contemporary Culinary Identity, Including The Refinement Of Pasta, Polenta, Bread, And Other Flour-based Foods; The Transition To More Advanced Cooking Tools And Formal Dining Implements; The Controversy Over Cooking With Oil, Lard, Or Butter; Dietary Regimens; And The Consumption And Cultural Meaning Of Water And Wine. As People Became More Cognizant Of Their Physicality, Individuality, And Place In The Cosmos, Montanari Shows, They Adopted A New Attitude Toward Food, Investing As Much In Its Pleasure And Possibilities As In Its Acquisition.--book Jacket. Medieval Near, Medieval Far -- Medieval Cookbooks -- The Grammar Of Food -- The Times Of Food -- The Aroma Of Civilization : Bread -- Hunger For Meat -- The Ambiguous Position Of Fish -- From Milk To Cheeses -- Condiment/fundament : The Battle Between Oil, Lard, And Butter -- The Bread Tree -- The Flavor Of Water -- The Civilization Of Wine -- Rich Food, Poor Food -- Monastic Cooking -- The Pilgrim's Food -- The Table As A Representation Of The World -- The Fork And The Hands -- The Taste Of Knowledge. Massimo Montanari ; Translated By Beth Archer Brombert. Translation Of: Gusti Del Medioevo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "In his new, must-read history of food, acclaimed historian Massimo Montanari traces the development of medieval tastes -- both culinary and cultural -- from raw materials to market and their reflections in today's food trends. He immerses readers in the passionate debates and bold inventions that transformed food from a simple staple to a potent factor in health and symbol of social and ideological standing, tying the ingredients of its fascinating evolution to the growth of human civilization. Montanari returns to the prestigious Salerno school of medicine, the 'mother of all medical schools, ' to plot the theory of food that took shape in the twelfth century. He reviews the influence of the Near Eastern spice routes, which introduced new flavors and cooking techniques to European kitchens, and reads Europe's earliest cookbooks, which took cues from old Roman practices valuing artifice and mixed flavors. Dishes were largely low-fat, and meats and fish were seasoned with vinegar, citrus juices, and wine. Other dishes, habits, and battles that mirror contemporary culinary identity involve the refinement of pasta, polenta, bread, and other flour-based preparations; the transition to more advanced cooking tools and formal dining implements; the controversy over cooking with oil, lard, or butter; dietary regimens; and the consumption and cultural meaning of water and wine. As people became more cognizant of their physicality, individuality, and philosophical place in the cosmos, Montanari shows, they adopted a new attitude toward food as well, investing as much in its pleasure and possibilities as in its basic acquisition"--Provided by publisher Acclaimed historian Massimo Montanari traces the development of medieval tastes—both culinary and cultural—from raw materials to market and captures their reflections in today's food trends. Tying the ingredients of our diet to the growth of human civilization, he details how food transformed from a simple staple to a symbol of social and ideological standing. Montanari shows how people adopted new attitudes toward food, investing as much in its pleasure and possibilities as in its acquisition. Italy’s best-known food historian travels back to the birth of “modern” cuisine and reveals the remarkable links between medieval tastes and our own. Massimo Montanari traces the development of medieval tastes—both culinary and cultural—and details how food transformed from a simple staple to a symbol of social and ideological standing. Table of Contents Introduction: Invitation to the Voyage 1. Medieval Near, Medieval Far 2. Medieval Cookbooks 3. The Grammar of Food 4. The Times of Food 5. The Aroma of Civilization: Bread 6. Hunger for Meat 7. The Ambiguous Position of Fish 8. From Milk to Cheeses 9. Condiment/Fundament: The Battle of Oil, Lard, and Butter 10. The Bread Tree 11. The Flavor of Water 12. The Civilization of Wine 13. Rich Food, Poor Food 14. Monastic Cooking 15. The Pilgrim’s Food 16. The Table as a Representation of the World 17. The Fork and the Hands 18. The Taste of Knowledge Notes Bibliography Index In this new history of food, the text traces the development of medieval tastes - both culinary and cultural - from raw materials to market and captures their reflections in today's food trends. Tying the ingredients of our diet evolution to the growth of human civilization, it immerses readers in the passionate debates and bold inventions that transformed food from a simple staple to a potent factor in health and a symbol of social and ideological standing