Feasts and Famine: A Writer’s Guide to Medieval Food asking the question: What did People actually eat in the middle ages?
city/region: England
Time Period: Medieval
If I was hungry right now, I’d just casually pop to my fridge and grab a choccy bar – unfortunately that wasn’t the reality for the poor nor the rich of the Medieval World. As Historical Writers, we want to avoid those anachronisms (attributing something to a time period that does not belong) as much as possible because, something we take for granted, food was as much a part as survival as everything else was.
The Importance of Food in Medieval Fiction
Whilst we may take food for granted today, food was very much a part of survival in all aspects of history. In your writing, food of any means can be used as a device to emphasise a character’s social status, culture, skills or their daily life as a whole. Not forgetting, of course, the diversity in medieval diets depending on region, season and social class.
The Social Divide in Diet
Oh how I hate to say it, but society WAS Divided (and still is, but that’s a conversation for another day). In order to establish what a person/character might have ate, let’s discuss some of the many social classes you might be writing about:
* Peasants
Food was life or death to them. The Medieval Menu for Peasnts would have included staple foods would have been bread, pottage (a kind of stew). Meat such as fish and diary products. Depending on where they are in the world, they may not even had access to hunting their own food, but foraged regional and local herbs, fruit and vegetables. It would have provided enough nutrition and energy to keep them working long hours
* Nobility
This is where we all like to think we would go when we say ‘I wish I lived in the past’ – not only did they live like literal Kings, their food was significantly better and (likely) they wouldn’t have had to cook it themselves. Their diet would have been full of rich game such as Venision, wild boar, wildfowl, rabbits, hare, deer etc. Or farm animals; Hens, Pheasants, ducks, geese, pigs, lamb, mutton or veal. If they lived near water, fish would be constantly on the menu. And White Bread was a luxury. Their food would have been seasoned with imported spices. Spices were a sign of the rich.
*Monks &
Religious
Communities
This is what we might call a lacklustre died. The Menu for Monks and those in religious communities would make your stomach grumble. Not only would they have long fasting days. Avoiding Sin – and gluttony was one of them (excessive eating and drinking). Though their rules changed in different periods; Their food would contain very little meat and no far. Simple vegetable (all grown from their own gardens), porridge and rye bread. Meat may have been reserved for the sick.
*Common Food across classes
There was certainly foods that everyone – high or low class- would have eaten. Bread as the staple for all classes but with variations (coarse rye vs. fine white). You may have noticed I mentioned Bread on pretty much every menu for the social classes… however, what type of bread was laying on their table meant all the difference. The quality of the bread represented social class. Fine White Bread would have taken longer to prepare and would have been reserved for the richest folk. Whilst coarse rye was a signature dish for the poor. Whilst everyone would have occasionally eaten a variety of meat. Rich game was a frequency for the nobles as often hunting was a specialised skill, and meat was expensive, whilst it was a rarity for peasants
Cooking Methods for meat:
Blanching: Covering meat and poultry with water, then letting it simmer for a few minutes
Searing: Grilling or spit-roasting meat before cooking in a sauce
Roasting: Roasting meat
A Taste of Authenticity: Spices and Preservation
Spices was a luxury commodity, and well sought-after to be highly priced. These spices would have only ever been seen and used on a rich-person’s table (No nipping up to the local Supermarket!). Spices were also used in medical concoctions.
Common Spices:
- Cinnamon (sweet and savory dishes and values flavour. Some also believed it had medicinal qualities,
- Black Pepper (used to enhance the taste of a dish and had preservation qualities),
- Garlic (in cooking and medicinal use, and enhanced the flavour)
- Ginger (was easy to digest, and was used in cooking and had medical uses)
- Others: Sage, Thyme, Mint, Saffron, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Southernwood, Rosemary
An ideal Nobles medieval menu could be a feast that showcased the rich flavours and variety of ingredients available at the time.
Some Simple Menu Plans:
- Pottage: A thick stringy stew that would have been made with what was available to them (vegetables, grain, fish). Nobles would have flavoured it with spices such as barley, thyme and sage.
- Gruel; a thin porridge made by boiling oats with water or milk (usually associated with poverty)
- Pies; were a staple of European cuisine. Pies could be ample in different meat flavours such as; Beef, Pork. Salmon
- Bread: Rye or white, or even Cough Cake (A fruit cake made with drief fruits in batter)
- Roast Meats
- Vegetable Dish
- Beverage: Mead or Ale
- Caudle: A thick hot drink often for the sick, mixed with eggs, bread, sugar, spices
Tips for Historical Writers:
You’re here because you’re worried about writing something wrong in your Historical piece that doesn’t quite fit. Luckily, the internet is at your fingertips to answer your questions;
- Don’t just tell us what’s on the table – make your readers taste Describe the coarse texture of rye bread, the smoky aroma of roasted venison, or the tang of mead. Sensory descriptions help readers feel immersed in the world.
- Use food as a Writing Device to showcase; Relationships, (ie. A shared loaf of bread could represent camaraderie, while refusing a cup of wine at a feast might mean some sort of distrust), Reveal a characters wealth, create the atmosphere of a scene, or reveal a conflict (ie. food scarcity.)
- Highlight Regional and Seasonal Variations; Medieval diets were certainly dictated by geography and seasons. Characters in northern climates might rely on warm stews and preserved meats, while those in warmer areas could enjoy fresh fruits, olive oil, and fish. Reflecting these variations makes your world more authentic.
- Introduce Unfamiliar foods – Add historical depth by featuring foods your readers might not recognize, such as pottage, lamprey pie, or hippocras (spiced wine). You could briefly describe them to enhance the reader’s historical experience without overloading them with exposition.
*Fun Fact Corner*
- Salt Was Worth Its Weight in Gold: Salt was a prized seasoning. In some cases, it was even used as currency!
- Meat for the Rich, Pottage for the Poor: While the nobility feasted on roasted meats like boar and venison, peasants primarily ate pottage, a thick stew made from grains, vegetables, and occasionally scraps of meat
- Spices Were a Status Symbol: Nobles flaunted their status by using spices liberally in their dishes.
- Table Manners Were Wildly Different: Forks weren’t commonly used in medieval Europe. Most people ate with their fingers, knives, and spoons.
- Ale and Beer Were Safer Than Water Due to contaminated water sources, most people drank ale or beer daily, even children.
- Feasting Was a Spectacle: Medieval feasts weren’t just about the food they were a form of entertainment. Elaborate dishes like peacock or swan were served with feathers intact for dramatic effect.
- Dairy Wasn’t for Everyone: Milk and cheese were primarily consumed by the lower classes, as nobles often considered them “peasant food.”
- Eels Were Surprisingly Popular: Eels were a common food in medieval England, both for the rich and poor. They were easy to farm and store, making them a practical and versatile food source.
IF YOU ARE A HISTORY WRITER, stuck on your research for your next novel, consider purchasing the Official Historical Research Planner: Guided Research Workbook for Writers of Historical Fiction, Fantasy, and Period Drama (CLICK HERE)
Resources
- Medieval Cookery: A collection of medieval recipes and resources for understanding historical food. (https://www.medievalcookery.com)
- Gode Cookery: A fantastic resource featuring recreated medieval recipes and detailed explanations of historical cooking techniques. (http://www.godecookery.com)
- Historic Food: Learn about historical culinary practices, including medieval bread, meat preservation, and banquet culture. (http://www.historicfood.com)
- Medieval Histories: Food in the Middle Ages: Articles about the cultural and social significance of food during the medieval period. (https://www.medieval.eu/category/food/)