The diet of the Portuguese merchant family Ximenez at the “Blauwhof” (Belgium): Between tradition and display in the 16th-17th centuries

The “Blauwhof” is a rich estate in a rural village close to Antwerp built by the Portuguese merchant family Ximenez at the end of the 16th century. The animal remains left behind by this family reflect a wealthy diet of the 16th-17th centuries with juvenile cattle and sheep/goat, small game and a variety of birds. The clear dominance of sheep/goat is linked to the Portuguese origin of the family. Despite the fact that they were merchants, trade did not influence their diet as no exotic animals are found in the assemblage and the amount of seafood is not unusually high. Although the family was Jewish until the end of the 15th century, their diet included non-kosher animals and body parts, which is consistent with their new identity as pious Christians who donated money to the Antwerp Cathedral by the time they occupied the Blauwhof.