Csapó Katalin - Füreder Balázs - Sári Zsolt: Reneszánsz ételek – Ételek reneszánsza Időszaki kiállítás 2008. március–május (Budapest, 2008)

Renaissance culinary culture in Hungary 55. Juvenile portrait of Matthias Corvinus Late-mediaeval culinary culture is fortunately not a blank spot in the gastronomic history of Hungary. Contemporary chroniclers recounted Hungarian court customs, great feasts and famous hunts. We are aware of SÈ I the most often used herbs and spices and types of foods. In fact, recipes, too, have come down to us from the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Many more sources are expected to come to light as a result of ongoin research; hopefully revealing not only court and bourgeois food, but also peasant culinary habits. The ascent of Matthias Corvinus (1443-1490) to the throne of Hungary 550 years ago in 1458 marks the beginning of an age of prosperity in Hungarian Renaissance culture. Matthias had from a very young age a keen interest in science and the arts, Italian art in particular. As a king he had the political power and riches opportunity to patronise culture, the arts, to invite and employ Humanists. The Buda court was the centre of Hungarian Renaissance culture. The political needs of a powerful Central European monarchy called for a court that flaunted wealth and power. With Matthias' second wife, Beatrix of Aragon, a number of Italian craftsmen arrived in Buda, many of them chefs. The Hunyadis eating habits were first noted down in detail by the Italian Humanist Galeotto Marzio (1427-1497). He recorded the everyday life of the King and his court. Galeotto describes how meals were at the same time important intellectual events, too. Galeotto reported also how Hungarians sat around square-shaped tables eating dishes with sauces. The sauces would change according to the course. Young pheasant, partridge, duck, capon, goose and starling - to be found in great numbers in Hungary - were on the menu, was veal, lamb, kid, pig and wild boar and fish, each in \ their own special ; sauces. According ' to other sources, the Magyars were fond of peacock and irkey, too. The latter must, how56. Majolica plate with the coat of arms of Matthias and Beatrix, 1485-1490