The Inquisitor at the Table: Food and Identity in the Mediterranean Tribunals of the Roman Inquisition

This article explores the Roman Inquisition’s interest in the dietary practices of suspected heretics throughout the Roman Catholic Mediterranean. In an era marked by rampant religious nomadism and a deep uncertainty about assaying and fixing confessional identity, dietary practices were often used...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Eric R. Dursteler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/5/619
Description
Summary:This article explores the Roman Inquisition’s interest in the dietary practices of suspected heretics throughout the Roman Catholic Mediterranean. In an era marked by rampant religious nomadism and a deep uncertainty about assaying and fixing confessional identity, dietary practices were often used to determine religious belonging. For the Roman Inquisition, non-conforming diets served as a clue to potentially more serious spiritual infractions. In the early modern Mediterranean, what one ate was considered a sign of what one believed.
ISSN:2077-1444