De l'Orient vers l'Europe du Nord, du marché à la table. Les registres commerciaux comme sources pour l'histoire de l'alimentation. Le cas des ‘vacchette' de Bologne (XIVe-XVe siècle)

Questo progetto di ricerca si pone l'obiettivo di gettare luce sul commercio delle spezie nel Medioevo, a partire dai preziosi dati contenuti nei registri del dazio di Bologna (1388-1448), nei quali venivano raccolti tutti i prodotti afferenti al cosiddetto "dazio della mercanzia" che transitavano in città. Nel Medioevo, Bologna rappresentava un importante snodo per collegare i principali empori del mare Adriatico (prima fra tutti Venezia) con i mercati della Toscana, come Firenze, Pisa e il suo sbocco marittimo, Porto Pisano, da cui le spezie salpavano in direzione di altre regioni europee. I quantitativi di spezie giornalieri, mensili, annuali e totali costituiscono un dato inedito ed inaspettato: infatti, un prodotto tradizionalmente descritto dalla storiografia come raro, prezioso e difficile da reperire, affluiva in realtà con sorprendente costanza e raggiungendo volumi molto elevati, obbligandoci a riaprire il dibattito attorno a questo tema, che ha ancora molto da offrire alla ricerca storico alimentare. ----------------------- This research project aims to shed light on the spice trade in the Middle Ages, starting from the precious data contained in the custom registers of Bologna (1388-1448). These documents were used to report any goods (related to the so-called "dazio della mercanzia") that crossed Bologna, and then continued to other destinations, especially Florence. As for spices, Bologna was an important hub in order to connect the main emporiums of the Adriatic Sea (first of all Venice) with the markets of Tuscany, such as Florence or Pisa, from where the spices sailed-thanks to the port of Porto Pisano-to other European regions, such as France, England, the Iberian Peninsula and Flanders. The daily, monthly, annual and total quantities of spices found in these registers are undoubtedly unexpected: a product traditionally described by historians as rare, precious and difficult to distribute in Europe, passed through Bologna with surprising constancy and reaching very high volumes. The daily, monthly, annual and total quantities of spices are undoubtedly unexpected: a product traditionally described by historians as rare, precious and hard to get to Europe, passed through Bologna with surprising constancy and reaching very high volumes. Considering that Bologna, despite its importance on the Italian scene, was still a "minor" crossroads in the complex commercial networks on which spices used to circulate (such as the great maritime routes, for example), these high quantities of spices lead us to reflect on what has been said so far about the spice trade in the Middle Ages. By combining the traditional historiographical method with an "empirical" approach, which takes into account the material and organoleptic characteristics of spices, it is possible to reopen the debate around this topic, which still has much to offer to food history research.