Alimentația în Timișoara habsburgică: măcelăritul și consumul de carne
Food in Habsburg Timișoara: Butchering and Meat Consumption

Summary/Abstract: The present text aims to research food in Timișoara in the 18th century, in the context of the transformations introduced by the Habsburg administration, with an emphasis on meat consumption. The study starts from the thematic bibliography, adding unpublished documents to reconstruct the route of meat, from animal husbandry, slaughter, and sale to consumption in households. It highlights the role of butchers, both Christian and Jewish, in the urban economy, as well as the strict regulations imposed on them regarding hygiene, quality, quantity, and prices of products. Butchers were an important professional category in early modern cities, with precise duties and an organization carefully supervised by the authorities, as can be seen from the examples chosen. Secondarily, the dynamics of the relationships between German and Jewish butchers in Timișoara become visible, caught between trying to prove their loyalty to the authorities and the well‑being of their own community. In addition to studying the human resources behind food, the article also offers a perspective on material culture; thus, we have added information about fairs and available products, as well as household items used in meat preparation, considering them a beneficial addition in the absence of other more relevant sources such as cookbooks. Moreover, cultural differences in meat consumption between the three communities in the town, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Jews, are briefly mentioned to complete the still fragmentary picture of everyday life in 18th‑century Timișoara, located at the intersection of Central European and Balkan influences.

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