Back

Medieval cooking – a demonstration workshop in the Pedralbes Monastery

On the 28th of August a workshop entitled “Regimen Sanitatis - Food and nutrition in the Middle Ages” is designed to acquaint the general public with the secrets of medieval cuisine

As part of the programme for L'hora daurada (The golden hour), created specifically with the enjoyment of the magical light of the twilight hour in mind, a demonstration workshop entitled 'Regimen Sanitatis' - Food and nutrition in the Middle Ages will help acquaint participants with the fundamental aspects of medieval cooking by offering an approach to subjects such as sweets, or desserts, spices and harmony between contrasting tastes. Equilibrium, in this case, is a fundamental issue as physicians in the Middle Ages were of the opinion that a proper diet, in the most general sense of the word, was the key to good health.

The school of Salern, founded by the monks of the Montecatini convent, had notable repercussions on the development of cookery in medieval times and is believed to be the origin of the book in question, the Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, a didactic poem offering advice on subjects such as hygiene, medicinal plants and nutrition. Also known as Flos Medicinae (The Flower of Medicine), the work is also believed to be the origin of the maxim that the best medicine is “...a joyful mind, rest, and a moderate diet”.

The workshop will also reveal secrets found in the Regimen Sanitatis ad regum Aragonum, the volume written by Arnau de Vilanova for James II of Aragon, the husband of the founder of the Pedralbes monastery, Elisenda de Montcada. This medical compendium offered an extensive collection of nutrition and hygiene tips and became one of the most important medical texts in medieval Europe.

The initiative forms part of the Barcelona museum summertime activities programme and will take place on Thursday the 28th of August from 7 pm to 9 pm in the Pedralbes monastery. Entry is priced at 11.30 euros and more information is available here.

BCN Cultural card-holders may avail of a special offer for this workshop. More details are available here.


Publication date: Thursday, 14 August 2014
  • Share