A Dive Into Medieval Diet

Have you ever given it some thought, what would your diet be like if you were living during the Medieval Ages? In this article, I shall guide you through it. 

The diet of the medieval people varied tremendously from extravagant banquets fit for the wealthy to just bland wheat and barley for the poor peasants. Still, some might propose that they were fed much better and healthier than us 21st-century people. That is mainly because of the value they placed upon food and the use of simple, original ingredients even for the lower class. However, since raw vegetables were considered as disease causes; they were always served cooked. Fruits were also in that category and they came in cooked, served in pies or candied form. On top of that, relying on the seasons, to get through certain times of the year, pickling foods or drying them was common and essential during the era.

For the peasants, some staples in daily life consisted of bread, gruel, cereal and types of barley, being very close to a horse's favorites. Early breads included whatever the farmers had in hand which were mostly rye, barley and oats, therefore the breads came out very heavy and in hard rock consistency. Bread was mostly cooked in public ovens by bakers rather than at home, poor villagers were required to pay a fee called “banalité” for each use. They also dined as a community together sometimes as well, this was a clear sign of the feudal system and a matter of social practice. At busy times like Easter or Christmas, sharing was caring at busy dinner tables.

In addition to breads or veggies, types of meats were a big part of the Medieval diet chain. It wasn’t available in many peasant homes but nobles enjoyed meat types without discrimination. For example, venison (deer meat) a prized delicacy, boar, beef, lambs, exotic birds and poultry was all preferred by the nobles. On religious fasting days, they were not greedy with their calories, and they consumed all kinds of fish. When imagining a noble banquet full of extravagant meals there is one thing everybody thinks is a must: a perfectly roasted pig with an apple stuffed in its mouth. However, even though pork was prominent in noble diets, it was more commonly associated with the peasants. Pork became a staple meat for the lower classes because it was very easy to raise them in the rural areas. Hence, pork became the ideal livestock for the villagers, not for the nobles. 

Medieval people were quite scared of possible illnesses that could spread along with food or water. A way to good health passed from distinguishing food into hot, cold, wet or dry and balancing them out. Water was assumed to be unsafe, hence alcohol was the daily drink for all, even children. The wealthy drank mostly quality wines whereas for the poor's the options were ale or beer.  

In the late Middle Ages, cooking became more refined and developed. Of course, this innovation was more for the wealthy. Imported spices from Europe such as saffron or black pepper helped creating new exquisite meals. Poor peasant’s diets stayed relatively basic, though some improvement in accessing to the food was seen. Ultimately, food played an extensive role in Medieval life. The striking differences between the noble’s and the peasant’s diets represent the inequalities of the feudal system, and when looked into, it easily allows us to pinpoint the cultural identity, societal system, beliefs and culinary practices of the age.