Cheese, pears, peasants : history and a proverb / Massimo Montanari, translated by Beth Archer Brombert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Montanari, Massimo, 1949-

Contributor:

Brombert, Beth Archer.

Series:

Arts and traditions of the table.

Arts and traditions of the table : perspectives on culinary history

Standardized Title:

Formaggio con le pere. English

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Food habits--History.

Food habits.

Proverbs, Italian--History and criticism.

Proverbs, Italian.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 116 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears" goes the old saying. Intrigued by these words and their portent, Massimo Montanari unravels their origin and utility. Perusing archival cookbooks, agricultural and dietary treatises, literary works, and anthologies of beloved sayings, he finds in the nobility's demanding palates and delicate stomachs a compelling recipe for social conduct.At first, cheese and its visceral, earthy pleasures were treated as the food of Polyphemus, the uncivilized man-beast. The pear, on the other hand, became the symbol of ephemeral, luxuriant pleasure-an indulgence of the social elite. Joined together, cheese and pears adopted an exclusive savoir faire, especially as the "natural phenomenon" of taste evolved into a cultural attitude. Montanari's delectable history straddles written and oral traditions, economic and social relations, and thrills in the power of mental representation. His ultimate discovery shows that the enduring proverb, so wrapped up in history, operates not only as a repository of shared wisdom but also as a rich locus of social conflict.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Series Editor's Preface / Sonnenfeld, Albert

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

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780231526937

0231526938

OCLC:

680622111