We know where he went, what he wrote, and even what he wore, but what in the world did Christopher Columbus eat? The Renaissance and the age of discovery introduced Europeans to exotic cultures, mores, manners, and ideas. Along with the cross-cultural exchange of Old and New World, East and West, came new foodstuffs, preparations, and flavors. That kitchen revolution led to the development of new utensils and table manners. Some of the impact is still felt—and tasted—today.
Giovanni Rebora has crafted an elegant and accessible history filled with fascinating information and illustrations. He discusses the availability of resources, how people kept from starving in the winter, how they farmed, how tastes developed and changed, what the lower classes ate, and what the aristocracy enjoyed.
The book is divided into brief chapters covering the history of bread, soups, stuffed pastas, the use of salt, cheese, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, the arrival of butter, the quest for sugar, new world foods, setting the table, and beverages, including wine and tea. A special appendix, "A Meal with Columbus," includes a mini-anthology of recipes from the countries where he lived: Italy, Portugal, Spain, and England.
Entertaining and enlightening, Culture of the Fork will interest scholars of history and gastronomy—and everyone who eats.
- Contents
- Series' Editor Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter One: Grain and Bread
- Chapter Two: Soup with Bread, Polenta,Vegetable Stew, and Pasta
- Chapter Three: Stuffed Pasta
- Chapter Four: Water and Salt
- Chapter Five: Cheese
- Chapter Six: Meat
- Chapter Seven: The Farmyard
- Chapter Eight: Fish
- Chapter Nine: Salt-cured Products and Sausages
- Chapter Ten: Vegetables and Fruits
- Chapter Eleven: Fat Was Good
- Chapter Twelve: Spices
- Chapter Thirteen: The Atlantic, the East Indies, and a Few West Indies
- Chapter Fourteen: From the Iberian Peninsula to the Distant Americas: The Sugar Route
- Chapter Fifteen: From Europe to America
- Chapter Sixteen: To Eat at the Same Mensa
- Chapter Seventeen: Eating and Drinking
- Chapter Eighteen: Dining with Discernment
- Appendix: Dining with Christopher Columbus
- Bibliography
- Index
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