It’s interesting, though, that they used fish to cook dishes that looked like meat! Before Easter, during Lent, meat wasn’t eaten and instead they ate fish. For example, lamb was associated with Easter (it’s an important symbol in Christianity), as well as eggs. This was because of traditions related to religion. It’s important to remember that some food is associated with certain seasons (or times) of the year. However, if you were favored by the lord of that feast, he sometimes sent food down to you so you could also enjoy it. The food that was served to the lord was special, in part because if the food was rare (and therefore more valuable), they couldn’t afford to have everyone eating it. There was always a lord (or a bishop, or someone else with a high rank) sitting at the high table. And if you weren’t sure about food quality at a banquet you could request your food or drink to be tasted to make sure it was safe to eat.īanquets took place in large dining halls, usually with the tables set up in a horseshoe shape, with the staff at the center. How can you eat with forks if they hadn’t been invented yet? But as we covered earlier, they did wash their hands and had a lot of respect for dining, so it was as hygienic as it could be. Yes, they were! Sure, they ate with their hands, but that’s only because they had no alternative. Ovens were expensive and difficult to maintain, so people would prepare the bread and then ask the neighbor with the oven to bake it. In towns, baking bread was often a communal activity. Now we know that white bread is actually less healthy than darker bread, but in the past white was associated with the high class. The poorer someone was, the darker their bread was. Meat wasn’t widely available to the general population (although that starts to change in the 14th and 15th centuries), so their diet was mostly legume-based.Īnd of course, bread was a basic part of the diet. most of them) didn’t eat the same as nobles. But that’s not true either! They actually had more access to fresh food than we do, so it probably tasted even better! What did Peasants eat?Īs you might guess, poorer people (i.e. Some people also think that the reason they used so many spices is to cover the bad taste of the meat they ate. Everyone was taught table etiquette from an early age-because of course, banquets were usually presided by an important lord, after all. And even when they drank ale, the manufacturing process wasn’t as good as it is now, so most of the time it didn’t have as much alcohol as today.Īs for the food-flinging, banquets were actually pretty civilized places! They washed their hands, served the person sitting in front of them, and had a lot of respect towards guests and other diners. Big banquets where everyone is drunk and flinging leftovers over their shoulder, right? Well, nothing farther from the truth! As it turns out, water existed in the Middle Ages, and people drank it all the time (it’s almost as if it’s healthy for us or something!). If you’ve watched any movies set in the Middle Ages (or in a medieval-inspired fantasy world), you might have a very specific idea about medieval food. So, for the sixth episode of our podcast, we interviewed Andy Hook and Giles Gasper, medieval food experts, and here’s what we learned! What People Get Wrong about Medieval Food The food they eat, how they cook it, and the rituals that surround it are tools that you can use to set the foundation for your cultures. When worldbuilding, food is important because it’s a way to understand a culture. Food is important! And no, it’s not just because it’s necessary to live.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |