Cooking and Eating in Renaissance Italy From Kitchen to Table [Hardcover]

McIver sets her culinary history in the late-medieval period and concludes in the 1600s. The author explores the roles and duties of cook, steward, under cook, and apprentice. She takes readers through upper- and middle-class kitchens, pantries, wine cellars, and dining spaces. McIver cites historical documents to highlight how favored foods were prepared and served. . . .McIvers research is impressive. She does a does a good job recounting culinary changes across time, such as how, in the 16th century, a festive meals 'sweet pastries, candied fruit, confectioneries, and sweet wines' were replaced by a cold salad course; her descriptions of wedding feasts and banquets are also remarkable, especially the one held in honor of Emperor Charles V in 1536.As the title suggests, this book is a general overview of the habits of cooking and eating in Renaissance Italy. McIver includes useful citations to letters, menus, inventories, and other historical documents from the period. The authorial style is unusual in that sections are frequently introduced with questions such as 'How did the cooks at Castel Gandolfo or at the Palazzo del Te come up with their menus?' Then selected citations from historical documents are used to answer and expand on the topics raised in the questions. . . .the examples are compelling. . . .The details about the eating habits of well-known historical figures (such as the Duke of Urbino) and menus for significant events are interesting and accompanied by black-and-white illustrations. . . .The book also contains many details about methods of serving and the relative cleanliness of plates. . . .Summing Up: Recommended. . . .General readers.Cooking and Eating in Renaissance Italy From Kitchen to Table is a culinary history recommended for college-level collections strong in food studies and Renaissance times, and traces how food was cultivated and moved from garden to table. It isn't so much a recipe collection (other medieval recipe collections arlSÍ