A Medieval Knight's Dream
T0 serve or not to serve, that is the quest
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A Medieval Knight's Dream T0 serve or not to serve, that is the quest |
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Food in the Middle Ages
Hot, Hot! The cook burned himself on the pot. The smell of rotten seasoned meat filled the castle kitchen. Someone had just stabbed into a goose. The cook tasted the meat for poison so the king wouldn't get sick. The job of a medieval cook wasn't the easiest in the world.
The food of the Middle Ages was very different from the food of today. During the Middle Ages in North Europe, the mainly used cattle and sheep for food. In South Europe, they also had fruits, vegetables, and herbs for food. They used olive oil rather than butter.
A banquet was sometimes made up of 6 courses. It provided food for everyone, not just the rich and famous. Rule were laid down for how people ate, their table manners and where they sat. They used spoons and knifes for eating. They also used trenchers, which were things like plates except they were pieces of hard bread that would soak up the blood and liquids from the chicken, turkey and other meats. A banquet was made up of many things, I will show you some of those things in the headings that follow.
Food was preserved in a number of ways. One way was that, meats and fishes were smoked or dried. Another way of preserving was that fruits and vegetables were pickled. Meat for the winter was salted in huge wooden vats. Sometimes meat and fruit were stored together in barrels. The warmest place in the kitchen was the blazing hearth. A hearth was a huge fireplace. Food was often disguised with spices to hide the taste of rotten meat! The kitchen was a very lively place.
Sometimes castles kept honey bees. Honey was used to sweeten foods and drinks. Sometimes water was channeled straight to the kitchen. Larger castles had their own fishponds, orchards, and vineyards.
In conclusion, I think the people of the middle ages ate a little worse than we do today. Though, they did have virtually the same silverware as we do and the same idea for today's modern plate.
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