the distribution of the various types of foodstuffs reveals the diversity or, much

more often, the monotony of diet. Monotony is obvious whenever the share of

carbohydrates (cereals in nearly every case) is far in excess of 60% of intake

expressed in calories. The share of meat, fish and dairy products is then fairly

limited and monotony sets in. Eating consists of a lifetime of consuming bread,

more bread, and gruel. .

On these criteria, it would appear that northern Europe was characterized

by a larger consumption of meat, and southern Europe by a larger share of

carbohydrates, except obviously in the case of military convoys when meals

were improved by barrels of salted meat and tunny fish.

Not surprisingly the tables of the rich were more varied than those of the

with fish, was served 'in a pyramid' on immense dishes called mets in France.

Sooner or later a more varied diet became common in towns everywhere

ages, its tables had been loaded with meat and drink worthy of Argentina in the

average Parisian bread consumption: 540 grams in 1637; 556 in 1728-30; 462. in

century.7 Then and only then, scientific stock-raising and massive arrivals of

Some topics in this essay:
CALORIES Sooner, , Black Death, Hospital Incurables, Viollet Collection, Europe Balkans, Collegio Borromeo, middle ages, called mets, seventeenth century, tables rich, meat fish, nineteenth century, varied diet, share carbohydrates, calory intake, europe fifteenth,