History of Food: 16th-century Rome

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

An introduction to food history through 16^th-century Rome. Examine the food that was cooked and served in high-ranking ecclesiastical households, whether at banquets or more informal meals. We will also examine the forms of presentation and etiquette expected at table.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge of the subject is assumed.

Content of Course

The two-hour course will cover a range of issues arising from an overview of several household manuals printed in Rome in the sixteenth century. These will include a brief look at the structure of the households of these princes of the Church, before turning to questions concerning the quantities of food required and what recipes were used throughout the year. We will also examine the service of food, including carving, and the development of table etiquette.

Teaching method(s)

Discussion focused on historical sources.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this taster course, students should be able to:

Understand the role of food in elite households in 16^th-century Rome.
Assess the importance of meals and etiquette.
Place the history of 16-century food in Rome in a wider historical context.

Sources

Core Readings

Albala, Ken, 2002. Eating Right in the Renaissance. Oakland: University of California Press
Berger, Harry, 2000. The Absence of Grace: Sprezzatura and Suspicion in two Renaissance Courtesy Books, Stanford: Stanford University Press
Dean, Trevor, 1995. ‘The Courts’, The Journal of Modern History 67, Supplement: The Origins of the State in Italy, 1300-1600, S136-151
Guerzoni, G., 1999. ‘Liberalitatis Magnificentia, Splendor: The Classic Origins of Italian Renaissance Lifestyles’, History of Political Economics, 31: 332-78
Partner, Peter, 1976. Renaissance Rome, 1500-1559: A Portrait of a Society, Oakland: University of California Press
Della Casa, Giovanni, 1958. Galateo, or, the Book of manners. Translated by R. S. Pine-Coffin,
Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Class Handouts

A handout will be provided.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.