Medieval Foods

The foods eaten in medieval times were both similar and different than those we enjoy today. In a castle, meals were usually taken in the great hall, a chamber often located on an upper floor. Servants carrying hot dishes from the kitchen (found on a lower level or in separate building) had to hurry to deliver food that still contained some warmth.

Class considerations dictated diets, the order in which people were served, and the way they behaved at table. Three meals were served: breakfast, dinner, and supper. The use of alcoholic beverages at meals in the Middle Ages was a  widespread preventative measure that guarded against contracting illnesses from drinking unsanitary water.

Illustration from The Decameron, Flanders, 1432. Paris, Biblioteque nationale, Département des manuscrits, Français 5070 fol. 132. {{PD-BnFMandragorePic}}  

Breakfast

For servants,breakfast might consist of a portion or coarse bread and some ale or cider. Those of noble birth ate cold sliced meat, cheese, white bread that had been thrice milled to remove impurities and improve its texture. and a cup of wine.

Dinner

 Served around midday, dinner was the main repast of the day. A trumpeter or cryer summoned the diners, and then pages would bring a wash bowl and poured water from elaborate pitchers so that those seated at the lord's table could wash their hands. Others washed in lavers before seating themselves at trestle tables below the dais elevating the lord's table. The benches they sat on might later serve as their beds.

Silver salt cellars sat on the tables and cups fashioned from silver, pewter, wood, or horn. More exotic materials for cups used by the nobility included ostrich eggs, agate, and gourds. Guests were expected to supply their own knives. Forks didn't come into popular use until the Renaissance period, and it was considered bad manners (and probably not very smart) to put food into your mouth with a knife. People either ate with spoons, as in the case of soups and stews, or with their fingers.

Visiting clergymen were the first served, followed by noble guests, the lord and his family, then the lower classes.Those at the lord's table were served from a silver platter while the common folk took their food from wooden platters. Until plates came into use late in the 14th century, flat pieces of bread known as trenchers held individual portions of food.

After the chaplain blessed the food, the first course would be served with bread and butter. Cupbearers made sure cups of wine, beer or ale did not run dry. Three or four courses usually made up a dinner. Elaborate feasts called for more courses that offered a stunning array of culinary delights.

Vegetables were considered food for commoners, so the lord and his guests dined mostly on meat and pastries. As might be imagined, this diet caused health complications.

A variety of flesh, fish, and fowl were consumed, including swans, peacocks, seals, dolphins, venison, and mutton. Common vegetables were onions, peas, beans, cabbage, parsley, shallots, and pot-herbs. Fruits eaten in the Middle Ages were apples, pears, plums, peaches, and nuts. These were cooked, since raw fruit was considered unhealthy. Meals ended with cheeses, cakes, wafers, spiced wine, cookies, waffles, and jellies.

After the diners finished eating, servants would gather the trenchers and bread liners to be distributed to the poor.

Merchants had a diet similar to that taken by the nobility, except that they also ate vegetables. Peasants in the country consumed more humble fare. They might take porridge, turnips, coarse bread, herbal salads dressed with vinegar or verjuice, and beer or ale. They could supplement with fish or pork and bacon, in season. Villagers might enjoy bread made from rye, barley, or wheat, plus peas or beans, oat cakes, porridge, fish, and cheese curds. They would wash down a meal with ale, mead, or cider.

Peasant meal.
Aristotle, Politiques et économiques, France, 15th century. Paris, Biblioteque nationale, Département des manuscrits, Français 22500.{{PD-BnFMandragorePic}}

Supper

Later in the day, it was time for a light supper that usually included a main dish, side dishes, and cheese. This meal ushered in the evening's entertainment.

A livery cupboard in or near the great hall welcomed unexpected guests in need of nourishment with bread, meat pies, cold meats, cheese, and libations. Some lords had livery cupboards in their chambers, but this was frowned upon as gluttonous by the church. 

Medieval Table Manners

Strict table manners were observed in the Middle Ages, with participants expected to wash their hands before eating, wipe their mouths before drinking (since cups were shared), take their food in small bites chewed slowly, avoid speaking with their mouths full, resist gnawing on bones, and leave their trencher for the poor. Some of the rules of etiquette they followed are still observed today. They weren't supposed to rest their elbows on the table, slurp their soup, belch at table, or feed scraps to dogs during the meal.. We find echoes of the rules they followed as we take our meals today.

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Escape into creative worlds of fiction with Janalyn Voigt, an author whose unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and fantasy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers.

Beginning with DawnSinger, Janalyn's epic fantasy series, Tales of Faeraven, carries readers into a land only imagined in dreams.

Janalyn is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to discover worlds of adventure in the great outdoors with her family.

Source

The Writer's Guide to Everday Life in the Middle Ages (The British Isles from 500 to 1500) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Host a Medieval Holiday Feast

For a fun spin on Thanksgiving or Christmas, why not host a medieval feast? It’s easier than you may think, although the philosophy menus were based on in the Middle Ages seems a little strange to us today.

Similar to the modern adherence to the food pyramid, medieval meals adhered to the four humor system. This system was founded on the belief that all Creation labored under the influence of four conditions:  melancholy (cold and dry), choler (hot and dry), phlegm (cold and moist), and blood (hot and moist). Variations on these names existed but the principles were the same. If a person suffered an imbalance, he or she was said to be “out of humor.”

Physicians advised medieval cooks to balance the four humors in the foods they served to keep diners properly balanced. For example moist foods served cold (like some meats) aligned to the property of Phlegm and as a counter-measure called for sauces or spices that were hot and dry. Foods that were on the dry side were boiled, never roasted. Moist foods were baked to dry them.

That sounds like a lot to keep track of, but surprisingly, medieval feasts were not all that different from those of today. That’s because modern eating habits have their roots in history. A medieval feast often started with a soup, salad, light fruits, or light meats. Foods more difficult to digest like beef, pork, and heavier fruits and vegetables followed. The meal wound down with something sweet. As today, special occasions called for elaborate desserts.

Cheese was taken as a digestive aid prior to the meal and after consuming meats. Similarly, fish was followed by nuts. Medieval cooks were not afraid of spices, since they also were thought to aid digestion.

A medieval feast was served in courses, with each course composed of several offerings. There might be many courses of a few items each or only a few courses made up of many dishes. Diners ended the evening with wine and sweet fruits and cakes.

Royal feasts featured lavish spectacles called solteties, elaborate creations crafted mostly from sugar in the likeness of warriors, heroes, mythical tableaus, or whatever other shape might be desired. Another medieval amusement was to disguise one food as another. A cake might appear as a realistic-looking fish, for example.

Here’s a quick guide to blend old with new and create your own medieval-inspired feast:

Course 1: bread and cheese, soup or salad, peaches

Course 2: green vegetables, fish, lean pork or chicken served with a spicy sauce

Course 3: roasted beef or turkey (if you must), cranberry sauce, poached pears, or figs, potatoes or yams

Course 4: a selection of two or three desserts in small portions

Investigate medieval recipes at GodeCookery.com.

Medieval diners drank a variety of wine and ale throughout the meal, but if you prefer, you can substitute apple cider, grape juice, and water flavored with lemon or mint.

To replicate a medieval dining experience, take time to talk, listen to music, or enjoy a holiday presentation between courses. Your feast should span several hours. Give guests a final sweet snack and drink at the end of the evening.

The post is brought to you by Janalyn Voigt. Escape into creative worlds of fiction. 

When Janalyn was a child, her father read classic literature to her at bedtime, instilling in her a love of story. With a teacher's encouragement, she decided to become a writer at the tender age of twelve.

Beginning with DawnSinger, Janalyn's medieval epic fantasy series, Tales of Faeraven, carries the reader into a land only imagined in dreams. Janalyn is also working on a romantic suspense novel set in a castle. She is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary.

When Janalyn is not writing, she loves to find adventures in the great outdoors.

Janalyn posts interesting details from her research, travel journals, author journals, and updates about her books at her Creative Worlds website.