Nicolas Copernicus at the table

The meal of a 16th-century Warmian canon follows the rhythm of the ecclesiastical calendar more than that of the seasons. It is built around a base of rye sourdough bread and a supply of salted or marinated Baltic fish, complemented by a cereal porridge (kasza) and legumes. Meat and game are allowed on meat days; the many fast days require fish. On the side, honey and spice sweets brought up from the North Sea by the Hanse, and mead for celebration or warmth. The order is not starter-main-dessert: it is a succession of dishes placed together, from the most nourishing to the most aromatic.

The marriage of honey from the Prussian forests and Eastern spices — ginger, long pepper, cinnamon, clove — unloaded in Hanseatic ports. This is the sweet-spiced hallmark of Toruń, Copernicus's birthplace, whose gingerbread has been attested since the Middle Ages.