Let’s cook History: Renaissance Meal

Scenes

Leonardo da Vinci living in France

In the 16th century, king of France Francois I gave Leonardo da Vinci the Chateau du Close Luce to use as residence. It was located next to Chateau d’ Amboise, residence of Francois I. Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years there.

Renaissance etiquette in Florence

Florence, home city of Leonardo da Vinci, is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance. At the court of the Medici family, new social behaviours and traditions were formed, including dining etiquette, shown in this clip.

Home of famous writer Rabelais

This clip shows Maison La Deviniere, home of Renaissance writer, scholar and humanist Rabelais.

Cookbooks and horticulture in Renaissance

Thanks to the invention of Gutenberg‘s printing press, Italian cookbooks were printed and spread out through Renaissance Europe. Vegetable dishes became increasingly popular and consequently, horticulture became important throughout europe. Prove of the popularity of vegetables in this era are paintings such as Summer by Arcimboldo.

Advent of pasta in Renaissance Europe

During the Renaissance, pasta was developed in Sicily under Islamic and Eastern influences and spread throughout Italy. Later, pasta was also introduced In Northern Europe.

Advent of the turkey in Renaissance Europe

Thanks to the marine trade during the Renaissance, products from North America were introduced in Europe, including the India hen, later named turkey. This animal quickly became a popular and inexpensive source of meat for the lower and middle class thanks to king Henry IV of France.

Sugar invasion in Renaissance Europe

The marine trade in the Renaissance era made sugar widely available in the kitchens throughout Europe. Consequently, sugar was used in many recipes, as shown in this clip.

Veronese, ‘Wedding at Cana’

Here, we see the painting Wedding at Cana by Veronese, a manierist painter, displayed in the Louvre museum, Paris. By focussing on the painting, this clip gives information on Renaissance dinner tables.

Erasmus, dining etiquette

The clip shows the house of Erasmus in Anderlecht, Belgium. For Erasmus, etiquette and table manners were very important and he has written down dinner etiquettes in handbooks.

Renaissance chef Scappi

Bartolomeo Scappi was a famous Renaissance chef, he worked for Pope Pius V. In this clip, his book about kitchen rules is discussed.

Italian masterchef Marchesi

Gualtiero Marchesi, Italian masterchef and owner of star restaurant Ristorante di Erbusco states that he’s been influenced by Renaissance chef Scappi’s cooking. This clip also shows meals being prepared at his restaurant.