At the table of a well-off artisan in 16th-century Cremona, a distinction is made between the ordinary meal (*desinare* at midday, *cena* in the evening) and grand festive *convivi*. The meal proceeds in successive courses, not as starter/main/dessert: first *antipasti* and *minestre* (soups, polentas, bread soups), then *allesso e arrosto* (boiled and roast meat on days permitted by the Church), and it ends with *frutta e confetti* — fruits, cheeses, honey confections, and spiced wines. Fruit preserves (*mostarda*) accompany meats throughout the meal.

Cremona has made the alliance of sweet and mustardy sharpness its gustatory signature. This essence of *senape* (mustard seeds) that stings the nose while leaving the fruit candied in honey is the city's hallmark, present on wealthy tables and offered to distinguished guests.