AN UNEQUAL SOCIETY

1. Medieval foods and diets depended much on the class of the individual. Class distinctions were reflected by what was eaten and by whom. The diet of the

commonality was determined by several factors.

(1) How liberal or tight-fisted the lord was.

(2) Whether they were yeomen, villains, or serfs.

(3) Were the harvests bountiful or scant?

(4) Whether or not they owned any livestock, such as poultry or swine.

Bread. It was the common food of everyone. The nobility ate whitened bread of twice- or thrice-sifted flour. The yeomen usually ate brown, whole-grained

bread called cheat, and the serf was grateful for bread made from weed grains, bran husks, and ground peas or beans.

Pottage. The pottages of the well-to-do contained various meats. If the peasant's pottage featured an occasional piece of meat, that was solely dependent

upon the lord's generosity, or whether he allowed the taking of rabbits from his chases or not. Taking anything larger than a rabbit constituted poaching,

which was punishable by mutilation or death.

Cheese. The lord's cheeseboard was graced with brie, cheddar, and ruayne (cream) cheese. The whey cheeses of the lower classes were so dry they had to

be boiled and pounded with a mallet before they could be eaten. Eggs were plentiful in the noble household and appeared in a variety of dishes, as well as in

heavy wine beverages called cawdles. A serf or villain might keep a few chickens, but eggs were precious and only appeared in main dishes.

Meat and fish. Chickens went into the pot when they became too old. Because of the dominating influence of the Church on everyday life, fish was a

prominent item on the table. The lower classes were usually allowed to take rough fish from the demesne stockfish, salted and so hard it could be used as a

hammer. Game birds and numerous breeds of domestic fowl were part of the diet of the royal and powerful, but they were the special province of the

clergy, who were not allowed by the Church to indulge too heavily in "four-footed" meats

Seasonings. Peasant seasonings were salt, and occasionally, pepper and wild mustard. The King and his nobles consumed vast and costly amounts of more

exotic spices such as cubeb, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, nutmeg, cloves, and sandalwood powder. Except for low-grade honey, sweeteners were the province of

the wealthy, especially cane sugar, which entered Europe after the First and Second Crusades.

Fruits. Fruit like apples were common to all. Citrus fruits, such as Seville oranges, which were available after 1280, were extremely expensive and found

their way only to the tables of those few who could afford them.

Bread was the staple food, thick slices of bread hollowed

out were also used as trenchers or plathes ish was also an

important food.

Meat was eathen by those that could afford it but there

were many days on which this was not allowed by the

church.

Pottage a thick soup-stew was the commonest meal eaten

by almost everyone daily. Pottage contained cereals,

vegetables herbs and sometimes meat.

Herbs were grown for flavouring food and medicinal use.

Almonds were one of the biggest luxury foods imported.

2. Class distinctions also manifested themselves in methods of food preparation.

The serf had to make do with a clay pot which rested on the hearth-place, a flat hearth-stone under which embers could be raked, a stirring stick, and a

crude bowl or two.

The artisan/villain was blessed, perhaps, with an iron cauldron with a lid, which could be suspended over the cook fire by a hook, a pair of fire-dogs

supporting a spit, and a few ceramic bowls.

The professional cook in a great household had bake ovens, fireplaces with spits for roasting, cooking stoves, ladles, cooking forks, cauldrons of various

sizes, long-handled frying and braising pans, gridirons, storage bins, and large jars of expensive spices.

3. Medieval diets lacked vitamins A, C and D and were not high in calories, making the regular drinking of ale a necessity for most. The only positive part of these

diets was that they were somewhat "heart-smart;" low in fat and high in fiber. But the medieval world was usually a very hungry one.

A DINNER IN A CASTLE

The peasants’ main food was a dark bread made out of rye grain.

They ate a kind of stew called pottage made from peas, beans

and onions that they grew in their gardens.

Their only sweet foods were berries, nuts and honey that they

collected from the woods.

Peasants did not eat much meat. Many kept a pig or two but could

not often afford to kill one.

They could hunt rabbits or hares but might be punished for this

by their lord.

Now, imagine you are a king’s guest and you are in the great hall of the castle. Dinner is about to begin, but…

What might this entail?

What will be expected of you?

What might be on the menu?

- First of all, expect to be seated for quite a while. As the King and his most prominent guests take their places at the high table, all conversation will

momentarily pause. Then, the ceremony of the meal will commence.

- By now, you will have discovered your plate is actually a slab of heavy, coarse bread. Don't start eating it! They will be collected after each course and

given to the poor.

- First the ewerer and his men will bring pitchers of rose-scented water, basins, and towels.

- Then, the steward of the household will send forth the sower, or official taster, the pantlerer with the bread, the cellerar bearing the salt, the carver,

and the butler with cupbearers for the wine.

- When all is pronounced fitting and proper, the food will begin to arrive.

What about table manners?

There is so much to see and to think about, but you don't want the King to think you a rude fellow, if he sees you make a mistake.

o First, remember that as a lesser guest, seated at a lower, more junior table, you are expected to share each course with three other people.

o Therefore, your hands and nails must be clean.

o Never leave finger marks on the table.

o Be sure your mouth is empty before taking the wine cup.

o Drink your soup with little noise.

o Do not pick you teeth with your knife, blow on your food, or wipe your lips with the table cloth.

o Keep both feet on the floor when reaching for the serving dish.

o Take portions only with your fingertips or your spoon, and be sure the latter has been wiped clean with the cloth provided.

o Don't leave the spoon in the mess for your neighbour to find.

o Don't gnaw or crack bones, or tear meat with your teeth.

o Scratching your head is also taboo.

o Also totally unacceptable are spitting, coarse language, and belching in the King's presence. You must also remain seated at the table until he makes his

departure.

The menu

Dinner will open with bread and softened butter, then hors d’oeuvre to prepare the stomach. This will be followed by two long removes of various dishes, divided by

the presentation of a hard sugar subtlety. There will probably be a desert course, or remove, as well. You will discover most of the fruit has been cooked in some

way and the vegetables will seem a bit overdone. Medieval man was suspicious of raw fruits and dealt with them accordingly.

The hors d’oeuvre tonight appears, it will be leek poached in white wine and served on a piece of toasted bread.

The first course? Green soup of almonds, roasted beef with pepper sauce, sliced breast of chicken in cinnamon sauce, baked mushroom pasties, a great pie

of venison, pork, and veal, baked trout in sauce, boiled turnips with chestnuts, and sliced apples fried in ale batter. Remember, the bread trenchers will be

cleared away and fresh ones provided as needed during the meal.

There will be a period of entertainment before the next course. The King's Fool is here to juggle pomegranates, accompanied by the lilting of a treble recorder.

As he finishes, fresh trenchers appear as the second remove arrives in procession: woodcock with saffron, a spicy compost of vegetables coloured with

sandalwood powder, a brie tart, a pie of small birds with scallions and mushrooms, loins of pork in garlic sauce, a pottage of spiced lamb, a green salad with

violet blossoms, steamed peas, and fresh grapes. And there is still desert to go.

After another interlude of entertainment, custard of eggs, honey, almonds and cream cheese arrive at your table, along with pears baked in honey, and

spiced wine called hippocras.

After the King has finished a cup of this, he rises and takes his leave. So do his principal guests. Dinner is over. Time elapsed, just over three hours.

And what might the King have been doing while you were feasting? In all probability, conversing with those of immediate importance to him. Perhaps, he ate a little

of each course as it was presented, but more out of courtesy to his guests and servants than insatiable appetite on his part. Possibly, he even spent a moment

mentally calculating the cost of the banquet.

ACTIVITIES

A) Put T (true) or F (false). Then, correct the false sentences.

1. The Baron was always served first _____________________________

2. Pottage was a stew made from vegetables_____________________________

3. Medieval people ate with forks_____________________________

4. The Lord ate meat all year round_____________________________

5. Pepper was used to spice food_____________________________

6. Plates were often made of wood_____________________________

7. Sugar was used to flavour food_____________________________

8. Peasants made bread from wheat_____________________________

9. Knights protected the Lord in case of attack_____________________________

10. Jugglers were medieval entertainers_____________________________

B) Which of the following are species, which are vegetables and which are sweets?

- saffron - custards - peas - clove - candies - cinnamon - beans - pepper

C) Match the social groups with the kind of food or the methods of food preparation in the left-hand column.

a- They ate whitened bread

b- They used an iron cauldron to prepare food

c- They ate bread made from peas or beans

d- They consumed mustard from time to time

e- They used a clay pot to prepare food

f- They ate cheddar cheese

Noblemen

Peasants

Serfs

D) Write sentences about table manners using these words:

Teeth____________________________________________________________

Nails_____________________________________________________________

Head_____________________________________________________________

Mouth____________________________________________________________

Lips______________________________________________________________

E) Write the name of the person who did each function.

To bring the bread:____________________

To bring water and towels:_______________

To serve the wine:_____________________

To taste the food:_____________________

To bear the salt:______________________

F) Imagine you are a king’s guest and you are dining in the great hall of his castle. Then, fill in the gaps.

A coarse ______________ is unacceptable in the king’s presence.

When the ____________ takes his place at the high table all conversation pauses.

A ___________ is expected to share each course with three other people.

In order to prepare the stomach, you will take a _____________ with butter and bread.

You must take portions only with your _______________ or _____________

During the dinner the ___________ will lilt and juggle pomegranates.

G) Find ten words connected with medieval food.

J R B V N A N O R A B

W P R E S E R V E X P

G R E A T H A L L K P

I W D P A D W R G Y T

J 0 G L S B 0 A G D A

B X U 0 E N I T U Z B

R H E U W Z O V J V L

E P S G Y Q F O H W E

A Z T H E L A M P Y C

D W G P E P P E R S M

A MEDIEVAL RECIPE: TO MAKE A SALAD OF ALL KIND OF HERBS AND FLOWERS

1. Take your herbs and pick them very fine into water.

2. Pick the flowers by themselves and wash them.

3. Swing all them in a strainer.

4. Put them into a dish and mingle them with cucumbers or lemons pared and sliced.

5. Add sugar and put into vinegar and oil.