Food

Diet of the Middle Ages Laurie Mauer

What was eaten varied greatly by class. What peasants ate mostly depended on what they could get for themselves. They usually ate bread made with a mix of wheat and rye or oatmeal. They also had meat, usually their own animal, and vegetables they grew like beans, cabbage, oatmeal, onions, garlic, and peas. Some foods that were more expensive but still avaliable were bacon, ham, apples, pears, and homeade cheese.

Food could be preserved in salt. Herbs and vegetables often accompanied these dishes so they would be more flavorful. There was little clean water so peasants mostly drank cider, ale, and mead and the rich drank wine. Grain was a staple and could be used to make bread, buns, ale, porridge, beer, and baked goods. Peasants were even paid in bread and ale and paid rent with some of the grain they harvested. Both classes ate fish, although peasants mnore than nobles, becuase it was readily available in many parts of Europe and could be preserved easily in salt. Also dairy products like cheese, eggs, butter, milk were eaten. Honey was used to sweeten foods, not sugar. Rich people often had venison (deer), white bread and richly flavored food. Spicy food was made with ginger and saffron. Sweet and sour with honey and unripe grapes. Rich people also had pudding with eggs, almonds, and cream. Goose was eaten on special occasions. Instead of plates, nobles used hard bread to soak up fluid and then gave it to poor people. A manor or castle had a table with one high end and one low end. The lord sat at the high end and looked down on the lesser people at the low end. Nobles had poison testers taste everything before they ate it. Nobles were often fatter than peasants for they ate little fresh produce and mainly rich meats, sauces, and desserts.  http://healthyurbankitchen.com/blog/uploaded/grain.jpg http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Salmonidae/brown_trout.jpg http://images.craveonline.com/article_imgs/Image/peas.jpg

2 MLA Citations 1. Jordan, William Chester. __The Middle Ages.__ 1999. 2. Langley, Andrew. __Medieval Life.__ London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1996.

 