In this period at the end of the Middle Ages, although the feudal landlords maintained possession of the land, they were losing their main productive input, the serf.

Among the dishes served, there were capao chicken, chicken, quail, partridge, duck, falcon, peacock, swan, hare, beef, tongue, veal, piglet, goat, venison, trout, carp, eel, lamprey, and pastas.Ī curious fact for olive oil fans is that, in the whole description of the banquet, where the dishes of each menu are described, there is not one mention of olive oil. To give an idea of the magnificence of this banquet, suffice to say there were 18 different menus. In 1891, Pellegrino Artusi, literato and humanist, wrote the book, ?La Scienza in Cucina e l?Arte di Mangiar Bene - Manuale Prático Per Le Famiglie?, in which he describes a banquet put on by Galeazzo II and Bianca di Savoia to celebrate the wedding of his daughter, Violante with Lionello, Duke of Clarence, son of the King of England, in Milan, on 15th June 1368. As a result, for years, great food shortages hit Europe as a whole.

This shift results in reductions of agricultural surpluses and serious commercial losses. One part of this contingent headed towards the cities and another roamed the the woods, turned into outlaws. In order to flee from the Black Plague, many serfs abandoned their feudal situations, causing generalized disorganization in production in the countryside. Thus, the XIII and XIV centuries were marked by major food shortages, high prices and devastating epidemics, like the Black Plague, which, in Europe, decimated 1/3 of the population. The land, in turn, demonstrated productive insufficiency, as planting techniques were far too primitive, besides always being subject to the risks of pests and droughts. Population growth was imposing more and more demand for food, but trade remained precarious. The end of the Middle Ages ws marked by various economic and social factors.

The end of feudalism in the middle ages