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From the banquets of kings and nobles to the daily struggle for the subsistence of the poor, food was already much more than a biological necessity in the Middle Ages: it was a social phenomenon full of meaning. In this book all the implications and meanings that food had on the Iberian Peninsula between the 13th and 15th centuries are analyzed. Historical assessment of the region is particularly rewarding because of the quantity and variety of historical sources, and because of the coexistence in medieval Iberia of the three great monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Taking both economic and sociological perspectives, every aspect of food is analyzed, from the commercialization of food production to its consumption, and from the evolution of culinary techniques to table manners.
List of contents
Fighting for Food in the Great Medieval Market: Forms and Problems of Food Supply / From the Fields to the Marketplace: The First Steps in Medieval Food Production and Distribution / Avoiding the Market: Medieval Self-Sufficiency, Provisions, Storage and the Conservation of Food / The Kitchen. Culture and Flavor / Around the Table: The Culture of Dining Objects and the Rites of Conviviality / Eating According to Status. Food as a Symbol of Social Hierarchy / The Food of Others: Religious Minorities and Food Conflicts / Epilogue / Bibliography
About the author
Juan Vicente García Marsilla is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Valencia, Spain. He has been a visiting professor at the Universities of Harvard, Paris-IV Sorbonne, Firenze, Venezia Ca' 'Foscari and Toulouse II-Le Mirail. He curated the exhibition
Between Land and Faith: The Muslims in the Christian Kingdom of Valencia, 1238-1609 in 2008.
Summary
In this book all the implications and meanings that food had on the Iberian Peninsula between the 13th and 15th centuries are analysed.
