Hi everyone,
The
subject of medieval food is wide and varied. What you ate would have depended not
only on which estate you were born (clergy, aristocracy or peasantry) but also
the seasons, beliefs and where you resided. Added to that, wars, bad weather
and failed crops sparked food shortages and famine. So this post is a broad overview and covers
the bare bones (no pun intended) of food of the middle ages.
It was believed that the body was governed by
the four Humours. These were four different fluids which were produced by
different organs within the body – Black bile, Phlegm, Blood and Yellow bile. For
a person to be healthy and remain healthy these Humours must be balanced. This
balance was achieved through medicine, practices such as bloodletting (lovely!)
and through diet.
The
Humours corresponded to a particular temperament, organ, nature, element and
even a season.
Black
Bile – Melancholic – Spleen – Cold Dry – Earth – autumn - Saturn
Yellow
Bile – Choleric – Gall Bladder – Warm Dry – Fire – summer - Mars
Blood
– Sanguine – Head – Warm Wet – Air – spring - Venus
Phlegm
– Phlegmatic – Lungs – Cold Wet – Water – winter – Moon Goddess
So
for some medieval cooks, having and balancing the four Humours in a meal was
sometimes more important than the taste. During a meal (particularly in a
wealthy household) the different dishes would compliment and counter balance
each other. For example, fish was seen as being cold and wet and would be
served with spice and sauces which were seen as hot and dry.
Another
belief was that food was ranked in order of importance by its closeness to
heaven. Basically in a descending order – Sky (birds), Ocean (fish, shellfish
etc.), Earth (cattle, pigs, sheep etc.), Earth (trees & bushes) and then
finally, Ground (vegetables).
While
the aristocracy’s diet was varied, the peasant diet was much more limited. In
good years, peasants grew vegetables and herbs in their small gardens or a
small strip of land in the fields. Common vegetables would have been cabbage, legumes,
onions and spinach along with herbs such as garlic and parsley. Fruit trees
included apple, cherry and pear. Important components of their diet were
pottage (a soup like stew made from vegetables, herb and bread crumbs), ale
(made from barley, rye, herbs, honey and water), and dark, brown bread made
from barley and rye. Depending on the household there could also have been milk,
cheese, eggs, butter, chicken, fish and pork (seasonal). Generally, because of
the lack of grazing land in winter, the pigs were usually slaughtered around
Christmas. If it was possible, the peasants kept the other animals (cows, sheep
& chickens) alive as they could provide more than just meat.
Meat
and fish were preserved by salting it. There were two methods, dry and brine curing.
With dry salting, the food was covered with salt and allowed to cure for five
to eight days. Whereas the brine method had the food soaked in salty water for
two to three days. The salted food was then hung on hooks and left to dry;
after which it was stored in barrels. It could last up to three months.
They
preserved fruit and herbs by drying them in the sun; and vegetables were
bottled with brine and vinegar.
Hmm...
it seems to me, we have only just scratched the surface. I might have to break
this up into more than one post.
Thanks
for dropping by.
Nicóle xx
www.nicolehurley-moore.com
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