Garden Museum

Room 12 – Fruit and vegetables

Kitchen gardens supplied their owners' kitchens and bakeries with fruit, vegetables and wine. When greenhouses were introduced, various types of fruit and vegetable such as salads, beans, strawberries and even pineapples could be grown and harvested all year round. Variety was all-important, and this led to the cultivation of new types.

Initially it was only the ruling aristocracy who were able to profit from the variety, but soon numerous kinds of fruit were also to be found on the tables of rich citizens. Here they not only provided a change from the normal bill of fare, but were a indication of the host's wealth. At the end of the 18th century, cultivation became increasingly popular, and in the 19th century there were more varieties than there had ever been before.