Early modern European cuisine
The cuisine of early modern Europe ( 1500 - 1800) is a mixture of medieval kitchen with up -reaching innovations in the modern era. The era was marked by the emergence of new ideas, expanding foreign trade, the Reformation and the Revolution of Science. The discovery of the new world, the creation of new trade routes to Asia and the expanding relations abroad up into sub-Saharan Africa and the Orient brought Europe an abundance of new food and beverage. Previously regarded as an expensive luxury spices were generally affordable; introduced and gradually cultivated plants such as corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili, cocoa, vanilla, tomatoes, coffee or tea developed into lasting mark of a changed European cuisine.
This period led to a raising of the European standard of living, which gradually spread to all regions and sections of society. This also attracted considerable changes in eating habits by themselves. Well there was a national consciousness in the early modern period, but only in the 19th century the concept of a national cuisine emerged. Although there were differences in the kitchen, which were rather than nationally but regionally limited and rather depended on climatic conditions. Class differences constituted another significant line of demarcation; usually found the cuisine of the upper class in the input recipe collections and cookbooks of the time.
- 3.1 Spirits
- 3.2 coffee, tea and chocolate
Meals
In most European regions were each two meals of the day: one in the morning, one in the late evening. The exact times varied according to era and region. In Spain and parts of Italy such as Genoa and Venice, the breakfast was the meal side, while the supper was regarded as a main dish. In northern Europe the morning meal was regarded as a main dish. The number of meals per day varied by region, state and economic situation. In the rural and the urban upper class up to four meals a day were common. The breakfast consisted of a cup of wine; the morning meal at 9 clock of several courses and vespers was again served with bread wine.
The dinner was the main meal with several courses and was served 3-6 clock in the afternoon. The variety of dishes was not one after the other, but at the same time served. Desserts finished the meal.
The morning and midday meal of the rural population consisted of a constantly over the stove simmering porridge, which was spooned out of the warm kettle. In the evening there was soup and bread. Honey formed a coveted food additive for sweetening.
As the breakfast came into fashion, it usually consisted of coffee, tea or chocolate, but was to the 19th century in many parts of Europe rather than incidental. In the south, where the dinner was the main meal, the breakfast was of no importance, as the traditional light morning meal of southern Europe show today, which usually consist of coffee or tea with bread or pastries. Undoubtedly, the working classes have since the Middle Ages enjoyed a morning meal remains unclear due to lack of evidence but the timing and its composition.
The three- meals model was only in modern times to a common standard.
Food components
Cereals and cereal products
For most Europeans, the assorted cereals was the most important source of food and the general daily staple. It was available in terms of quality and preparation in many variants. The lower class enjoyed the rough because of the higher Kleiegehaltes bread, while the upper class ate the white bread made from finely ground white wheat flour, as it is still used in Europe. Wheat was much more expensive than other cereals, and stood only a few available. Bread was prepared from a mixture of wheat and other cereals.
Grain remained in early modern Europe until the 17th century undisputed staple. The existing up to that time skepticism imported goods from the New World such as potatoes and corn was gradually overcome by the population, and the potato was particularly in northern Europe acceptance since it was a much more flexible ergiebigeres and vegetables than wheat. In Ireland this zeitigte later disastrous consequences. As the early 19th century, many countries were almost exclusively become dependent on the potato, caused the blight, a potato disease, famine, and killed over a million people and drove two million in the emigration.
In Northern and Eastern Europe Climate and soil conditions offered poorer conditions for wheat cultivation; Rye and barley retained their importance in regions such as Scotland, Scandinavia and Russia. Rye was used for baking brown bread, as it is still prevalent in countries such as Sweden, Russia and Finland. Barley was more common in the north, and was often used for beer production.
Oats had a considerable share in the cultivation of grain, but was considered inferior and commonly used as an animal, especially horses feed. Millet, widely used in many parts of Europe since prehistoric times, essentially disappeared until the 18th century, although they appeared by their exceptional storage period of up to twenty years for times of need to be very suitable.
The Italian cuisine gradually replaced the millet for corn polenta through. The widespread since the High Middle Ages Pasta gained popularity in the early modern period, but it was up to the age of industrialization is not common to use durum wheat semolina or Pasta processing. During this time, many rice was cultivated especially in Italy and Spain, but was considered inferior food; which was exceptionally enjoyed as rice pudding, but otherwise ignored.
Vegetables
Peas and beans constituted an important part of the diet of medieval arms, its importance as a staple food gradually waned by the triumph of the grain and especially the potato.
Meat
From the animal all the ingredients were recovered; the blood in soups and for blood sausage, the innards in stews, soups or into baked goods, even body parts that reminded clearly to the living beings were part of the diet. It could be proffered as a court, a whole calf's head, and the consumption of eyes, tongue or cheeks was not as problematic; in some regions of these organs were considered a delicacy.
The European meat consumption was relatively high and was regarded as a social status symbol. The poor, however, were dependent on the stilling of the protein requirements mainly on eggs, dairy products, and legumes. Often they lived better where small game and fish enriched the diet in less populated regions. Meat consumption wealthy countries, especially England, was considerably higher than the poorer nations. In some areas, particularly in Germany and the Mediterranean countries, since about 1550 meat consumption fell in the simple people in connection with the population growth.
Fat
A social structure of early modern Europe could be due to the preference of the respective fats Olive oil, butter or lard reconstruct. This staple food had not changed since the Roman period, but the effects of the Little Ice Age in early modern Europe affected its northern regions where olives were blooming. Only olive oil has been the subject of long distance trade.
Sugar
The well-known since the Middle Ages in Europe from India cane sugar was expensive and was regarded primarily as a medicine. End of the 17th century, the sugar production of the New World grew to meet the growing European demand, so that at the end of the period the maritime nations England, France, the Netherlands and the Iberian Peninsula consumed large quantities, unlike the other parts of Europe. At the same time they began to distinguish between sweet and savory dishes; Meat dishes were far less sweetened than in the Middle Ages.
Drinks
Water was in Europe until the water treatment of the industrial age by no means a neutral panel drink. Everyone, even the poorest drank every day and at every meal mild alcoholic beverages; Wine in the south, beer in the north and east. Both drinks were offered in numerous varieties, vintages and in varying quality. Wealthy northern Europeans imported wines. Ale was the most popular in the Middle Ages the form of beer in England, but was gradually replaced by hops beer from the Netherlands in the 16th century.
Spirits
The art of distillation was perfected in Europe in the 15th century and many of today's popular and well-known spirits were invented before the 18th century and perfected. The term brandy (of Low German brandy over the Dutch brandewijn, " burnt wine " ) came first in the 15th century in Germany. As the English and Dutch in fierce competition for control of the lucrative European export market fell, the Dutch shifted their cultivation outside the Bordeaux region, the traditional territory of the English. As a result, arrived regions such as Cognac and Armagnac for producing high quality brandy to fame. Many of the now-famous cognac producers, as Martell, Remy Martin and Hennessy began its operations in early to mid -18th century. Whiskey and brandy were produced in small Hausdestillen. The came into fashion whiskey was marketed and export hit of the 19th century. Gin - spiced with juniper grain alcohol, invented by the Dutch - was commercially produced from the mid-17th century by Lucas Bols. The production was later refined in England and the English working class immensely popular.
The 16th and 17th centuries, beginning between Europe, Africa and America triangular trade made rum to one of the most important trade goods. Made from molasses, he was one of the main sugar products in the Caribbean and Brazil.
Coffee, tea and chocolate
Until the early modern period in Europe all popular drinks based on alcohol. The contact with Asia and Africa as well as the discovery of America brought Europe into contact with tea, coffee and drinking chocolate. But it was only after the 17th century reached the three drinks a general popularity. The new drinks containing caffeine or theobromine, mild drugs that are not intoxicated like alcohol in equal measure. Chocolate was the first exotic drink made popular and was one of the favorite drinks of the Spanish nobility of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century. All three remained very expensive.