Beneficial Nutrition in Galicia at the End of the Nineteenth Century: The Case of Santiago de Compostela

Abstract

This article examines the emergence and development of the Economic Kitchen of Santiago de Compostela within the broader context of social assistance and nutritional change in late nineteenth-century Galicia. Drawing on archival documentation, contemporary press sources, and institutional records, the study analyses
the dietary model promoted by these charitable dining halls and compares it with the habitual diet of the urban working classes and the poor. The research highlights both the limitations and improvements introduced by this initiative, including the provision of affordable meals, improved food quality through regulated procurement, and the introduction of certain dietary innovations such as dairy consumption and diversified protein sources. Particular attention is given to the distinctive role of ecclesiastical management in Santiago,
which enabled the integration of the Economic Kitchen into a wider Catholic assistance network serving schools, charitable institutions, prisoners, and pilgrims. The findings suggest that these institutions played a significant
role in alleviating nutritional deficiencies among vulnerable populations and contributed to the modernization of social welfare practices in Galicia at the turn of the twentieth century.