The Culture of the Picnic in the Romantic Era

A beautiful legacy of the Romantic period, defined as the idealized perception of the world, was highlighted by the music of Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Brahms, Schumann, as well as the literary works written by Hugo, Pushkin, Byron, Eminescu, and many other remarkable writers.

What connection does Romanticism have with us? First, our goal is to make the surrounding world more beautiful. We believe that gentleness is the most elegant manifestation of human behavior and we promote it within our company. We greatly enjoy culinary ceremonies that are based on ancient origins and manifest as an evolution of human culture.

Today we decided to talk about the origin of the picnic and take a small journey back in time to 1789, after the French Revolution, when royal parks became open to the public and picnicking became extremely popular among citizens.

In the early 19th century, a modern group of Londoners first formed the "Picnic Society." Members would meet at the Pantheon on Oxford Street. The organized meetings had no host, and each member was responsible for bringing drinks and snacks for entertainment. The Picnic Society disappeared after the death of its founders.

Picnics were destined for elegant meals with family or friends, served outdoors in nature, in places isolated from cities or in parks and near lakes. Picnics usually took place in the first part of the day, considered a late breakfast, and later began to be practiced as a lunch or even evening event.

Already in the 1800s, in France and Great Britain, wealthy families stood out at picnics with chosen porcelain and special baskets where they stored snacks and drinks.

Disposable tableware, very practical on the one hand, is not considered "Bon Ton" from an aesthetic point of view, due to its lack of elegance when holding a plastic cup or plate. But also ecologically, these utensils, which go into the trash after a picnic, are not at all good for our planet.

Picnic food back then had a specific character; it was rarely hot. Typically, all sorts of delicious sandwiches, "finger food" (convenient appetizers to eat with your hands), fresh fruits, salads, cold meats, accompanied by chilled wine, champagne, and other soft drinks were consumed.

We encourage you to spend as much time outdoors as possible, with your loved ones. Enjoy the simple pleasures of life, such as a picnic, which can be both sophisticated and simple, consisting of two sandwiches, a bottle of wine, a dear person, and a beautiful sunset.

More ideas for convenient picnic foods will follow in our next blog article!

See you soon!