cibo e bevande al tempo di G. Chaucer

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Geoffrey Chaucer was a man quite fat, but in his early writings he  scarcely (hardly ever = a mala pena) speaks about food. He mentions ale (beer,= birra), bread, wine, roasted meat (=carne arrostita) to give colour to his poems but  it is not possible to find typical recipes.
In The Canterbury Tales, instead,  the types of foods that the characters consume are very effective (=efficaci) traces to better understand  their personalities, habits, and qualities.  
Some examples…
The Summoner likes food with garlic and onions a diet that provokes  a bad complexion (skin = pelle) and fetid breath (=alito) and mirrors (reflects = rispecchia) his scandalous behaviour (manners= comportamento). The Prioress loves  elegance and good life, and eats only fine pieces and gives her dogs only white bread. The Franklin‘s table is always prepared for dinner with fine wines, meat pies, and delicious fish that reflect his generous character and richness. He often invites Friars, known for their love of good food and wine.  Chaucer’s monk is also a lover of the good life, and enjoys hunting. The poor widow of the Nun‘s Priest‘s Tale, drank no wine,  but only milk and brown bread, broiled bacon (prosciutto grigliaiito)   and sometimes an egg or two. On the contrary, the cook Roger Hodge, can roast, boil, broil (= griglaire), and fry (friggere) and prepare many dishes frequent at his time. Chaucer also adds a touch of humour as ingredient to these dishes: his pasties (= pasticcio) and stuffed goose (=oche ripiene)  frequently contains some of the flies(= mosche) that fly in his shop!
Characters

Summoner: official in ecclesiastical courts that called people to serve as escort (= scorta)
Franklin:  a medieval landowner ( = proprietario terriero)

Prioress = priora

Friar= frate

Monk = monaco

Widow = =vedova)

Nun= suora

Priest = prete
Cook= cuoco


garlic and onions 

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