Alimentació i ascetisme als segles VI i VII. Anàlisi comparativa d'alguns models dietètics monacals italians i ibèrics

Abstract

Since the fifth century, as a result of the fall of the Roman Empire and the settlement of Germanic peoples, a lot of changes took place in the landscape and in the patterns of nourishment of the population: meat and lard were revaluated.
In this new context, only the monks kept on feeding themselves with bread, oil and vegetables. The ascetics' mistrust against animal food was a result of their conviction that a strong diet stimulated greed and luxury, both vices opposed to the spiritual perfection. The refusal of meat was equivalent to a refusal of aristocracy and its values.
The habit of eating meat was so generalized that the monastic reformers did not dare to adopt a radical attitude against it. They only invited the adults and healthy ascetics to avoid eating meat completely, but they allowed them to eat poultry.