memes

What's in-between the lines here is that the newer elite food aesthetic takes substantially more labor, skill, energy, and time. This effectively gate-keeps "simple" food from most people. It's not until well after the industrial revolution where we see these kinds of meals become more affordable for people.

So they began cooking meat in meat-based gravies, to intensify its flavor.

This is a great example of what I'm talking about. Anyone can roast a cut over a fire or just toss raw meat into a stewpot. But a rack of lamb with a rich demi-glace? From scratch, in an 18th century kitchen? And that's not the only course? Yeah, strap in, because that meal just became an all-day job if you don't have any help.