16 th-Century Manners and Reformation Diets ................................

Lecture 18

I

n the 16th century, some major changes occurred in Europe that had very
interesting effects on food culture. The biggest and most important series
of events was the globalization of the economy and the exchange of
foods across continents, but in this lecture, you will learn about the other
important changes that occurred in the early modern period—starting with
the fact that favorable economic times in the wake of the plague triggered
Europe’s population to bounce back within a century and a half.

Changes in the Early Modern Period
 By 1500, there was once again a serious baby boom in Europe.
The effect this had on the economy was that lots of people were
scrambling for jobs, and the price of labor (wages) went down. A
scarcity of food meant that the cost of living went up because of
infl ation—some of the most dramatic price surges in history—and,
once again, land was at a premium.

 Feudalism had pretty much fallen apart, and serfs had become

peasants renting land (tenants). If they were lucky enough to

have good leases, or if they were freeholders and owned the land

themselves, they were in an excellent position because they could

supply the growing market with food and reap a good profi t because

prices were so high. This led to an industrious class of farmers who

were middle-class yeomen and upper-middle gentry.

 Because the demand and price of land was so high, the nobles—

large landholders and investors in trade, colonization projects, or

industries—also did very well. However, the nobles were no longer

allowed to run amok, raping and pillaging. In Europe, unless they

join a royal army, they have essentially lost their original military

function. The result is that they become domesticated; they go from

being warriors to being courtiers. Revealingly, there is a whole

literature devoted just to telling them how to behave.