Historical story

Cooking in the Middle Ages:Fat is Better

Cuisine in the Middle Ages

Each era is marked by its own mentality regarding the concepts of health and beauty , the sense of which, as it is obvious, is destined to undergo substantial changes over time.

We thus discover that in the middle of the Middle Ages, the "plump" man was considered in better shape than a thin one and the kitchen, consequently, responded to this general need.

This is what they claimed, around the year 1000 , the scholars of the Salernitana Medical School , at the time the most important in Europe:

"The sanguine man by nature is fat, playful, cheerful [...]. He likes Venus very much (i.e. women), and food, and wine, always talkative, hilarious and laughing, capable of learning every study and art, does not easily move to anger, is a liberal and ruddy lover “.

It is clear that a adequate diet was essential to lead such a lifestyle , for which the ideal cuisine had to be substantial, rich, with high fat and cholesterol levels , exactly as the doctors advised:

" Fresh egg, red wine and fat broth, mixed with the finest flower of the best wheat flour, are a profitable food of a great deal to nature".