Comerţul cu produse alimentare în Ţara Românească (secolul al XVIII-lea – începutul secolului al XIX-lea)

Gheorghe LAZĂR

DOI: 10.47743/asui-2024-0015

Abstract. The predominantly agrarian nature of Wallachia’s economy in the 18th century largely explains the scarcity of available documentary sources on the food trade in the period. Within this context, the present study explores the methods used by Wallachian merchants in purchasing and distributing food produce, both the ‘basic’ items used in everyday consumption and ‘luxury’ items such as spices and exotic fruit (lemons, pineapples). The study examines the context for the increased trade in the latter items during the period under consideration: the taste for such produce was undoubtedly due to a ‘civilizing’ process among the elites, but also to their desire to display their status through ‘conspicuous consumption’.

Keywords: Wallachia; merchants; food trade; consumption and ‘luxury’; 18th century.