Eat, Drink, and Be Medieval
The medieval period, which is split into the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages, and the Late Middle Ages, is loosely defined with regard to exactly where it begins and ends. The term “medieval” was brought about in the nineteenth century to distinguish when history came out of the dark times and entered into what was considered to be the beginning of the modern world. According to many historians, this period began when Rome fell at the end of the fifth century and continued until the sixteenth century (some say fifteenth, others say early seventeenth).
For this book, we have focused primarily on the High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages up until the mid 1600s (our use of Drambuie in certain recipes, a sweet liqueur, tips us into the eighteenth century . . . but let’s just keep moving along). In doing our research, we came across so many interesting holidays, feasts, and celebrations of this period (some hilarious, some quite solemn) that we decided to make it our focus. We’ve organized the history and recipes of the High Middle Ages by the calendar year—feasting begins with Twelfth Night and ends with Christmas.
There are so many great reasons to cook and, more importantly, to eat! To help you understand why we chose certain ingredients, we’ve included a brief history behind each holiday. Think how smart you’ll sound at your next dinner party when you are able to rattle off strange facts about the history of the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll or the reason why you made Blackberry Jam on September 29 as opposed to September 30.
No Swans Were Hurt During the Making of This Book
Most of the food consumed during the Middle Ages involved processes and ingredients that are either not readily available—or are simply not palatable today. All of the recipes in this book are based on original recipes from medieval cookbooks and manuscripts that have been adapted and modernized for our contemporary taste buds. What this means is that you won’t have to go wandering through the woods with a sword, looking for rare birds and dangerous (and sometimes poisonous) herbs.
One must keep in mind that almost all of the feasts mentioned revolve around the church. Everything was dictated by “holy men”; holidays, food, clothing, customs . . . everything. So, whenever the revelry got out of hand (meaning, they were fun) the religious leaders would often reconstruct celebration guidelines (meaning, they were no longer fun). Along with various well-known figures such as Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell, clergymen were almost always responsible for these holidays falling out of favor. No one wants to go to a party that forbids fun, or worse . . . booze.
The Medieval Daily Diet
The medieval diet consisted of meat, meat, and more meat. Okay, and some bread. Most of Europe was on a two-meal per day schedule with the first being a dinner at midday and a light supper in the evening.
Farmers and the working folk would have leftovers in the morning for practical reasons. Food preparation took hours (no microwaves), so the earliest a real meal could be served was late afternoon. Thanks to the church, it was considered gluttonous to eat in the morning, but exceptions were made for laborers and children. How kind. Boy, they really had no idea what they were missing. We love our breakfast!
As you could probably guess, ingredients we take for granted today were viewed much differently back then. For example, tomatoes were considered poisonous, butter was used to cure flatulence and colicky babies, and any vegetables growing in dirt were thought of as “peasant food.”
Kitchen stoves were not commonplace until the eighteenth century, so most food was prepared directly in a fire. Ovens were used, but mostly in noble households. However, some villages had a “shared” oven for baking bread.
For the most part, food was thrown in a stew pot and placed over a fire. Common cooking methods included roasting, baking, boiling, smoking, and salting. Kitchens were not really built as a separate room until the Late Middle Ages. A giant hearth was most often located in the common living area; as for the nobles, this hearth would be combined with their dining hall.
Many of the tools used are what we use today such as: pots, kettles, skillets, frying pans, etc. There was almost always a large hook that made it easy to swing pots away from the fire to prevent burning and spits for turning roasts so that cooking would be even. Also prevalent was the mortar and sieve. Physicians believed that food should be ground at a very fine consistency to allow for proper digestion, so cooks would mash, sift, and mince ingredients into pastes. Mmmm . . . meat paste.
Most of us today thoroughly enjoy anything to do with baked goods, but in the Middle Ages bread was often considered a cooking vessel. Fruits, meats, and spices were combined and inserted into a molded pastry dish and baked. Stale bread was cut and used as plates called “trenchers,” though, depending on your social status, you might also just eat directly off the table.
Mind Your Manners
Despite what you may have heard, people did not eat off the floor, gnaw on giant turkey legs, or wipe their mouths on their shirtsleeves.
It was customary for nobles to clean their hands using a basin of water with linen towels. They did this before every meal. How civilized. Napkins were placed over one’s left shoulder or left wrist; elbows were kept off the table; spitting and burping were forbidden; one had to wipe their mouth before sipping from a communal cup, spoons were for broth (so one did not lift a plate up to their mouth; bread was cut, not broken; and, last but not least, prayers were said before every meal.
One of the common ingredients you’ll find in several of these recipes is Drambuie. This delicious liqueur dates back to the eighteenth century (slightly later than the main period focus of this book), and it has a fascinating history. After his defeat at Culloden (April 16, 1746), the Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart) went on the run. Charlie managed to escape the mainland by boat, dressed as a woman, and headed for the Isle of Skye. He took refuge with various Highland clans for protection. One of these clan leaders, John MacKinnon, was exceptionally helpful, so much so that the prince rewarded John by giving him a top secret recipe for his own liqueur. Years later, this became what we now call Drambuie.
Drambuie basics: it is a blend of Scotch whisky, herbs, spices, and honey. While it was originally created for medicinal reasons, it is now a popular spirit to be served up straight, mixed in various cocktails, or, in our case, to cook with!
Whisky has much deeper roots in history, with some appearances as far back as the first century, but it grew more mainstream in the fifteenth century as the process of distillation became a fine art. During the Middle Ages, the beverages of choice would be ale, beer, mead, and wine. Along with the Drambuie, you’ll find that we’ve used quite a bit of mead in our recipes, too. Mead is neither wine nor beer. Also called “honey-wine,” it is fermented with honey, which gives it a very unique flavor. It is thought to be the oldest fermented beverage in history and could be found in ancient Europe, Africa, and Asia. In fact, the term “honeymoon” traces back to the medieval period and the tradition of the bride and groom drinking mead for a full moon cycle after the marriage—they believed it to be an aphrodisiac. The bride’s father would almost always include mead in the dowry, in the hopes that the newlyweds would produce offspring shortly after (or . . . er . . . nine months after) the “I do’s.”
Spices Were Not Used to Cover the Smell of Rotting Meat!
Many believe that medieval-era food was bland, rotten, and gray. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Almost everything was fresh and well seasoned with various spices or sweetened with honey. If you fed your guests meals using more exotic spices, it was a sign of wealth and an indicator of an elevated social status. Keep in mind that, at the time, the spice trade was opening up a world of culinary opportunities (more so for the wealthy, of course). Common and readily available spices included salt, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, and cloves. Common herbs included sage, parsley, mint, and fennel; however, herbs were primarily used for medicinal purposes.
Common Medieval Herbs and Spices
