TRADICIJA / TRADITIONS
TABLE SPREAD OF MEDIEVAL SERBS Stefan Nemanja ate meat, while Saint Sava ate octopus A good ruler had to eat plenty of meat prepared by roasting or frying, because only the combination of blood and fire ensures the power of a ruler and warrior. For monks, on the other hand, different rules applied A pproach, comrades and brothers, come with me, to cheer us at the last feast with you, and I will depart from the ta- ble with meat, because I will not gather at such a great and multi-seated table with you again, ever - these were the words uttered by the great prefect Stefan Nemanja in 1195 in Ras, addressing his people gathered for a banquet organ- ised to mark the occasion of the handing over of pow- er to his son Stefan the First-Crowned, as the monk Teodosije recounts in his famous “Life of Saint Sava”. Although this unusual farewell from rich meaty spreads clearly suggests that Nemanja is not only relinquishing power, but is also preparing to take a monastic vow, and monks in the Middle Ages didn’t eat meat even during days when it wasn’t Lent; a better connoisseur of the medieval comprehension of food will not overlook the fact that by giving up meat Nemanja was giving up his earthly authority. Specifically, according to the determinants of the Middle Ages, a good ruler had to eat plenty of meat in order to preserve his power to rule, chivalrous- ness and other qualities. And that wasn’t just any meat, rather the highest quality meats, prepared by roasting or frying, because only the combination of blood and fire ensures the power of a ruler and war- rior. Boiled meats, offal, small birds, rabbits and pro- cessed products were for the farmers and craftsmen - the ruler and soldiers ate roast meats! Alongside lentils, berries, wild peas, cabbage, on- ions and garlic, dock leaves, radishes, beets, millet, barley, oats, rye and in later periods also rice and corn, which arrived in our area with the Turkish con- quests of the mid-15 th and early 16 th centuries, the population of Serbian lands in the Middle Ages con- sumed meat, milk and dairy products. Cheese made from goat’s or sheep’s milk, just like sour milk, was a product that foreign merchants would gladly accept instead of money in bartering with the local popu-
menitog metala. Sasvim izuzetan primer predstavlja takozvana čaša cara Dušana, za koju se pretpostavlja da je naručena u nekoj zanatskoj radionici u Kotoru. Na vrhuncu moći, krajem 14. i početkom 15. veka,
luksuzno trpezno posuđe na vla- darske stolove despotovine sti- že iz Nemačke, Ugarske i Itali- je. Uglavnom je reč o posuđu od stakla i metala. Nema sumnje da se i za tr- pezom srpskih vladara i visoko- dostojnika, baš kao i za onom običnog čoveka, znao red. Iz upo- rednih srednjovekovnih izvora dobro je poznato da su na goz- bama po pravilu obedovali muš- karci, odnosno da su im se žene priključivale u vanredno retkim prilikama i da su se takvi izuzeci pravili jedino kada je reč o vla- darkama. U slučaju javnih, op- štenarodnih gozbi, prvo su se služili muškarci, za njima žene i naposletku deca. Na velikim gozbama posto- jala je i svojevrsna hijerarhija u smislu rasporeda stolova, od- nosno količine i kvaliteta hra- ne koja se iznosila pred pripad- nike različitih staleža. Praksa je bila da vladar odredi kada će se, u kojoj količini i šta od namir- nica podeliti sirotinji nakon ve- likih slavlja. Pored hijerarhije i fine ode- će, gozba je imala još jednu na- ročitu dimenziju – muziku, pe- smu i zabavu. Svirači, akrobati, gutači vatre, krotitelji zveri, ple- sači i glumci bili su neizostavni učesnici javnog spektakla tokom vašara, ali i tokom svadbenih i drugih gozbi. Čak je posebno razdragan vladar, poput Stefa- na Prvovenčanog, uzimao u ru- ke gusle, pa i sam svirao i pevao svojim gostima.
Na dvoru su postojale viljuške, dvozube, ali ne od zlata, već od kovanog gvožđa, kojima su se jeli kolači i voće pre nego meso ili neka druga, robusnija hrana At court there were double- toothed forks, but not made of gold, rather of wrought iron, which were used to eat cakes and fruit before meat or some other, more robust food
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