Charlemagne, le brie et le roquefort

Kentron

卷:35

关键词: Charlemagne;    cheese;    food;    identity;    myths;    Notker of St Gallen;   

DOI  :  10.4000/kentron.3509

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Many cheeses are endowed with mythical origins, i.e. stories which claim to reveal their origins or the circumstances in which they were discovered and became known outside the region where they were first produced. Moreover, the mythical origins of Brie and Roquefort are surprisingly similar: a prelate from the area serves Charlemagne with some cheese; at first, the emperor refuses to ingest what he considers inedible (the rind of the Brie or the blue mould of the Roquefort), but then he listens to the prelate’s advice and is pleased with the result. Even if they are highly topical and have been distorted through diverse processes of oral and written transmission, these mythical stories have a common Carolingian source, harking back to a chapter of the Gesta Karoli by Notker of St Gallen. Our analysis of this anecdote has not allowed us to identify the exact kind of cheese its author had in mind, but it provides information about the status of cheese in Carolingian times. Far from reflecting regional identities, as it often does in our time, Notker’s cheese appears to reveal social identities: as opposed to more prestigious foods mentioned in the original story, such as fish or butter, cheese may refer to humbler social contexts.

【 授权许可】

Unknown