Food In the Middle Ages
The poor people in the middle ages ate mainly barley and rye. They made this into bread, pancakes, pizza, barley porridge (similar to oatmeal), and barley soup. Most people ate preserved foods, meaning that the foods have been salted or pickled such as bacon, pickled herring, or preserved fruits. They grew carrots, onions, cabbage, and garlic to put in their soup to enhance the flavor. In addition, they made cheese to eat with their bread and to melt on their pizza. The people gathered apples, pears, and mushrooms to make apple pies or baked apples. To sweeten their treats, people would try to add honey or sugar to their foods.
The people of the middle ages grew herbs like parsley, chives, basil, and rosemary to flavor their foods. In England and Germany, people mostly drank ale or beer, and in France, Italy, and Spain, many drank wine. Unlike the poor, rich people made bread out of wheat whilst the poor made their bread out of barley/rye. The rich people had a larger variety of things to eat, including meat such as pork, roast beef, stew, lamb chops, deer, and rabbit. The rich often feasted on wild game and a variety of strong, spicy foods. They liked to eat freshly killed meat and river fish, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Fowl such as capons, geese, larks, and chickens were available to the lord and his family.
The people of the middle ages grew herbs like parsley, chives, basil, and rosemary to flavor their foods. In England and Germany, people mostly drank ale or beer, and in France, Italy, and Spain, many drank wine. Unlike the poor, rich people made bread out of wheat whilst the poor made their bread out of barley/rye. The rich people had a larger variety of things to eat, including meat such as pork, roast beef, stew, lamb chops, deer, and rabbit. The rich often feasted on wild game and a variety of strong, spicy foods. They liked to eat freshly killed meat and river fish, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Fowl such as capons, geese, larks, and chickens were available to the lord and his family.
Fancy spices imported from all over the world were used as well. Some commonly used ingredients include sugar cane, almonds, and dried fruits such as dates, figs, or raisins. Jellies, pies, fritters, and stews were eaten with animals such as peacocks, seals, porpoises, and even whales everyday.
Dairy products such as cheese and butter were commonly eaten. Both the poor and the rich also ate pottage (a thick soup containing meat), vegetables, or bran. |