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 * [[image:Grace.jpg width="379" height="284" caption="(Claessins)"]] || [[image:header.jpg width="284" height="284"]] ||
 * Grace before the Meal, by Anthonius Claessins, c. 1538-1613. ||  ||


 * = ===**"Bread was the single most important element in the European diet for all social classes."** === ||
 * < Bread was not only the base of their Christian religion but it was also their "principle agricultural commodity". Bread today is merely a side to all of our means, but in the Renaissance it was the basic staple of all their meals. Of course, even though all classes ate bread their was differences in the types of breads. Those who were wealthier preferred "fine white bread made with carefully bolted wheat flour". The less fortunate, such as peasants, ate brown bread containing more bran and sometimes barley or rye. Bread was also much more than a food in this day. The use of individual plates for each dinner was unheard of, instead bread was used as a trencher, on which other foods were placed. (Grendler) ||= [[image:bread.jpg width="267" height="267" align="right" caption="(My Recipes)"]] ||

(Grendler) ||
 * = === "The most common drink in Southern Europe was wine." === ||
 * = [[image:http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/tuscan-elements--italian-wine-pitcher-with-fruit-virgilla-lammons.jpg width="200" height="262" caption="(Tuscan Elements)"]] ||< Wine made up a great part of their society during the Renaissance ages. "Entire religions were devoted to the production and trade in wine. Most wines of that day were locally manufactured and consumed," however there was a large export trade on wine. The people of Northern Europe's most common beverage was beer or ale; many homes even brewed their own. Other areas such as Normandy and Southwest England preferred cider pressed from apples. Water was rarely consumed alone, most likely because of fear of contamination; however they would mix water with the wine. It's unclear if the water was meant to dilute the wine, or just improve the taste of the water.


 * = ==== **"Generally the poorer a family, the greater the proportion of their diet consisted of vegetables."** ==== ||
 * < Fruits and vegetables were an essential part of the European diet, "even though doctors tended to warn against excessive consumption of these". The Renaissance period was a period of demographic growth, inflation and drop in wages caused money to be a little scarce all around. People had to buy cheaper foods to survive, which meant less meat and more fruits and vegetables. Some vegetables were directly linked with the lower classes, some of these include: beans, cabbage, garlic, and particularly onions. Vegetables, which were made into spices, were a huge part of the Renaissance period. Spices were very over priced because of the long travel route it took then to reach Europe. Thus, spices "became a powerful marker of social status". (Grendler) ||= [[image:vegetables.jpg width="276" height="261" caption="(Humans Make)"]] ||


 * = === Animal products, meat, were also very important to the Renaissance society. === ||
 * [[image:meat.jpg width="309" height="235" caption="(A to Z of Food)"]] || The most common type of raised animal across Europe included cows, sheep, and goats. Not only were they used to eat their mean, but their milk was used to make many types of fresh aged cheeses. Pigs were also very important; they were "preserved in many ways as sausages and hams." Hunting also played a role in the meat the Renaissance people ate. The privilege to shoot was "reserved for the nobility", but small wild birds and other animals such as rabbits, hares, and even hedgehogs were killed to eat. Also, depending on location fish was very "important in European diet". Many of the fish products would be imported inland during the time of lint making fish a very valuable resource. "Whale mean and porpoise were also among the more expensive and elegant foods available. (Grendler)( ||


 * = === Renaissance society was just beginning to understand the concept of health. === ||
 * European people had been eating extravagant meals for years without any true understanding on what it was doing to their bodies, but more importantly health. Those of the Renaissance had just begun to understand this concept and decided something should be done about it. "By the 16th century some governments tried to limit the number of dishes served at weddings or special occasions." Typical eating habits in the 16th century had become much more controlled and reserved than in the past. "Variety was supplied by an impressive array of basic ingredients rather than an overwhelming range of spices." (Renaissance) || [[image:http://health.vctx.org/HealthDepartment%5Ccaduceus.gif width="185" height="182" caption="(Health Department)"]] ||