Renaissance

Food and
Drinks
Group 1
(Doysabas, Jasmin, Portugleza,
Guibay, Sarcadio, Ruiz)
 Content
Table of contents
Introduction Rice and Other Foods

Food of the Renaissance Meats and Spices

Period
Drinks of the
The Making and Eating Renaissance Period
of Bread
Eating Habits of the
Renaissance Period
 Welcome
To The Renaissance Period
The Renaissance was a period in European history
following the Middle Ages and preceding the
Enlightenment, from about 1300 to 1600,
characterized by religious and political turmoil
and the works of great artists such as
Michelangelo and da Vinci. It also was a cultural
transition point in the preparation and
consumption of food. In particular, the
emergence of global commerce -- which gave the
wealthy access to food, drink, and spices from all
over the world -- anticipated the modern ways of
eating.
 Food of the
Renaissance Period
The period of the Renaissance in Europe
was a time of great upheavals, of
changes in how people thought and
acted, and after the return of Columbus’
sailors from America, in how and what
they ate. For most people, bread
remained the food of choice. The upper
classes preferred processed white bread
made of flour, but lower class people ate
brown bread made of wheat bran,
sometimes with added rye, beans, and
chestnuts.
 The Making and Eating of
Bread
Regardless of nationality or economic status,
people throughout Europe ate bread. In Italy,
people of all classes had spaces devoted to
making dough in their homes. Among the
lower and middle classes, this dough was
taken into town and baked in communal
ovens, as most households were too poor to
afford private ovens. However, the wealthy
often had their own wood-burning ovens in
which they baked soft white bread. The poor,
however, made and ate coarse wheat bread
that sometimes contained rye or barley.
 Rice and Other Foods
Rice was also eaten and was grown chiefly in
Lombardy, Italy. In Southern Europe the
people ate porridge and millet, used olive oil,
and drank wine (often mixed with their water
for fear of contracting disease). Northern
Europeans preferred beer, ale, and cider; and
used butter rather than olive oil. The lower
classes consumed beans, cabbage, garlic,
grains, vegetables, and onions. Peaches and
melons were eaten mostly at court. Salads
were also served, made with lettuce,
watercress, radicchio, onions, raisins, and
olives; also with artichokes, asparagus,
broccoli, cabbage, spinach, carrots,
cauliflower, eggplant, fava beans, and fennel.
 Meats and Spices
Although the climate of southern Europe,
France, and England allowed for an abundance
of fresh meat, the consumption of meat was a
privilege normally accorded to the upper
classes. In Italy, fish was a staple across the
socioeconomic spectrum, especially during
Lent, when the Catholic Church discouraged
eating other kinds of meat. Certain delicacies,
such as pheasants and peacocks, were the
exclusive preserve of the wealthy. Salts and
other exotic spices such as pepper, cinnamon,
cloves, and ginger were used to enhance flavor
and as a preservative. Salt was instrumental in
preserving meat during the winter months.
 Drinks of the
Renaissance Period
Due to fearing sickness, people of the Renaissance
seldom drank plain water. From Germany in the
north to Italy in the south and France and England,
the preferred beverages were wine and beer. Wine
was the staple drink of the elite, while beer was the
drink of choice among the lower classes. However,
during this period, wine was not stored in bottles
but in casks that could spoil easily. Hence, new
wine was generally preferred over older wine. The
south of France and certain islands in the Atlantic
were the chief sources of wine production. Beer
was more popular than wine in northern Europe
because wine was difficult to transport and thus
prohibitively expensive.
 Eating Habits of the
Renaissance Period
By modern standards, eating practices of the Renaissance were
primitive, even among the very wealthy. Bread functioned as an eating
utensil because the use of real eating utensils remained uncommon.
One of the first mentions of a fork in European literature occurs in an
encyclopedic cookbook compiled in 1570 by Bartolomeo Scappi, the
personal chef to Pope Pius V. It was at around this time certain
members of the upper classes began eating on plates and brass cutlery
appeared not long after. Standards of etiquette would only emerge
much later, in the 17th century. However, in all classes, gluttony was
uncommon; people ate until they were full and then stopped. Among
the wealthy, live music might accompany dinner.
Thank
You
 References
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International. Hektoen International - An online medical humanities journal. Retrieved
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Herrington, B. (n.d.). Meals in the middle colonies. eHow. Retrieved March 18, 2023, from
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Renaissance. Ducksters. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2023, from

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