Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA remarkable essay in gastrohermeneutics. Massimo Montanari succinctly unravels a puzzle of a proverb, utilizing a stunning array of primary sources, from medical theory and cookbooks to agronomic and literary texts. Surprising and fascinating discoveries on the social meaning of food are revealed. While reading, a wedge of cheese and sliced pears are highly recommended. -- Ken Albala, University of the Pacific, author of The Banquet: Dining in the Great Courts of Late Renaissance Europe An eloquent and thoroughly researched account of that famous proverb 'do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears,' wherein the history and pleasure of the table unite. More than a tribute to this delightful combination, this book is a cultural history that explores social and economic relations fashioned from a seemingly innocent alliance, providing a lens through which to view social conflict. -- Pietro Frassica, Princeton University Cheese, Pears, and History in a Proverb is a fine example of the historian Massimo Montanari's studies of what food means and what purposes it can serve. -- Thea Lenarduzzi Times Literary Supplement a tour de force... -- Meryl S. Rosofsky Gastronomica ...succinct and informative... -- Nicholas Terpstra Sixteenth Century Journal
Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Preface by Albert Sonnenfeld Acknowledgments 1. A Proverb to Decipher 2. A Wedding Announcement 3. Peasant Fare 4. When Rustic Food Becomes the Fashion 5. A Hard Road to Ennoblement 6. The Ideology of Difference and Strategies of Appropriation 7. A High-Born Fruit 8. When Desire Conflicts with Health 9. Peasants and Knights 10. To Savor (To Know) / Taste (Good Taste) 11. How a Proverb Is Born 12. "Do Not Share Pears with Your Master": The Proverb as the Site of Class Conflict References Index
