Wk 12 Renaissance 1

Food-An important part of the Renaissance food were the roasts, of which the sirloin of beef must have been one of the most common. The modes of preparing roasts, while resembling the present system, differed by first boiling the strong meats, and then the roast was thoroughly basted with orange juice and rose-water, and covered with sugar and powdered spices. We must also mention the broiled dishes, the invention of which was attributed to hunters, and which Rabelais continually refers to as acting as stimulants and irresistibly exciting the thirst for wine at the sumptuous feasts of those voracious heroes. Renaissance foods of the bread group were among the most common. They were not only very cheap but were very healthy. The making of bread was highly regulated during the renaissance. At first, rules were imposed upon bakers from the higher authorities. Grouping the bakers together was simply a more efficient way of ensuring that they followed the rules. As local economies developed, however, these organizations began to go off on their own. Groups began to formulate their own regulations to better profit from their status in the public diet. Where as the poor ate darker breads and flat bread because they were much cheaper. In England biscuits became very popular. Grains, such as polenta and oats were also a universally consumed staple.

Wk8 Medieval Times 3

                          

History-The medieval period in history was between the 5th and 15th centuries. Also called the Middle Ages, it was a time of change in Western Europe. It began with the fall of the Roman Empire to invading German tribes. Western Europe broke into many separate kingdoms. Trade collapsed, people made their living from the land, and the feudal system began. The early Middle Ages are called the "Dark Ages" because the learning and culture of ancient Greece and Rome almost disappeared. The medieval period ended when the Renaissance swept across Europe.The medieval period, also known as the Middle Ages, was the era between ancient and modern times. Before medieval times, all of western Europe was part of the Roman Empire. Exact dates for the beginning and end of these eras do not exist. Rather the fall of the Roman Empire happened over a period of several hundred years as the Roman Empire weakened and Germanic tribes from the Scandinavian regions were able to conquer, eventually leading to a new way of life.       

                                                

Wk8 Medieval Times 2

 Art-The games of medieval Europe were mainly the same as those of Egypt, Greece, and Rome: dice, knucklebones, marbles, checkers. We also see more children's toys from this time: whistles and little dishes and dolls.Chess, which came to Europe from the Islamic Empire, began to be played in Europe toward the end of the Middle Ages, and after paperreached Europe from China, playing cards also began to appear in the later Middle Ages. In the old circuses, also, horse-racing and chariot-racing continued to be popular for a long time. This was especially true in Constantinople, where the charioteers (the drivers) were divided into teams (the Blues, the Greens, the Whites, and the Reds, though the Blues and the Greens were the most important) and which team you rooted for was tied to your politics and your religion, and often led to violent riots and murders in the circus and in the streets. But on a smaller scale, horse-racing continued in Spain and Italy also, throughout the Early Medieval period. You can still see a medieval horse-race today at the Palio in Siena, which is held every year.

WK8_Medieval Times 1

FOOD- The kind of food people ate not only depended on the situation, but also on their class and social ranking. While nobles had a plethora of delicious meats to choose from, the choice for the peasant class was very limited, not only because of the expense, but also because there were restrictions on what peasants were entitled to eat, and what was suitable only for nobles. Take a look at this classification of medieval times food according to the social ranking. There was an enormous range of foods available during the Middle Ages. However, the type of foods consumed and the quantity of foods consumed depended on wealth and status. The daily meals of the Upper Classes during the Middle Ages were different types of food. Food that was in the ground was consider for the poor people.Only rape, onions, garlic and leeks were in a noble's table. The spices the wealth wound us were  pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, saffron, cardamon ,coriander, cumin, garlic, turmeric, mace, anise, caraway and mustard.  It was important for the people of the Middle Ages to preserve food in the summer to be eaten  during the winter months. They would use salt to preserve the food. Fruit was only usually served in pies or was preserved in honey. The ate all their food cook they could not eat unprepared food.