From at least as far back as the 1500’s, people have gone to great lengths to combine their love of art with their need for food.
Swans
A great example of this from the UK, is the way swans were used as part of dressing a meal. Swan meat apparently tasted terrible, so the swan would be used exclusively for presentation purposes. Whilst it sounds pretty disgusting today, it was common practice for the super-wealthy of centuries ago.
I was thinking of this earlier, when a TV chef was on the radio talking about, ‘this recent move to combine food and art’. I assume his cooking is far better than his historic knowledge.
I took the above photo last week in a recreated medieval kitchen, at Gainsborough Old Hall, Lincolnshire, England.