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Mozart and the pleasures of the table |
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Mozart and the pleasures of the table
Dining played a significant role in W. A. Mozart's time: on the one hand the population was suffering from famine. There was hardly enough money to pay for the daily necessities. On the other hand, the culinary delights served at the royal court were beyond imagination. Mozart got a taste of both sides during his lifetime.
The Baroque Age was an era strongly influenced by dualistic thought: selfdenial and excess, life and death, heaven and hell not only characterized the cultural but also the culinary aspects of the time. An equal share of fasting and feasting was part of life.
People ate at home but were just as fond of going out. Meals were usually prepared by kitchen maids, which the Mozarts also employed. One of them was named "Thresl", a loyal woman who was part of the family for a long time. Although she studied cookbooks for inspiration, basic cooking skills were usually handed down from one cook to another
In the 18th century the choice of menu was rarely left up to the individual but depended on what the market had to offer, which again depended on the season, the condition of the road, war and peace. Soups were usually on the menu, e.g. the "Brezensuppe" (pretzel soup), "A good beer soup" or a "Soup with good smoked tongue dumplings". These soups were not served as an entree but usually as the main course. Main courses also included dishes such as "Beef stew with a potato crust" or "A good fish stew". The choice of dessert was usually high in fat and calories. "Salzburger Nockerln" (sweet soufflé), "Hupfauf" (dish made of curds) or "Fried hay and straw" gave a wonderfully satiated feeling.
Dining was an important theme in letters written home. In 1769 Mozart wrote home from Wörgl: "We arrived at the Kalterl at 1:00 p.m., ate veal in sauce for lunch with good beer followed by wine – what a laxative drink..."
Capons (chicken) were Mozart's favorite dish and were used to lure him back to Salzburg from his illfated trip to Paris: "That woman, Thresl, the fool, bought six capons again, and yesterday Nannerl procured a few lovely lace doilies for you."
The seating order at the table also played a decisive role and reflected the hierarchies of the individuals at court. Mozart expressed his repugnance over the social differences in a letter to his father in 1781: "We sat down to lunch at noon – unfortunately a little too early for me. The two attendants of His Worship sit at the top of the table – but at least I have the honor of being placed above the cooks."
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