Food of the Middle Ages By: Jessica Phillips

Daily Meals  Both Upper and Lower class has 3 meals a day  Breakfast is served between 6-7 am  Dinner is served in mid-morning from 12-2 pm  Supper is the substantial meal served from 6-7 pm. The upper class is accompanied by entertainment  The diet was mainly bread, pottage, dairy products like milk and cheese, and a meat, usually beef, pork, or lamb  Spoons were rarely used with liquid food (soup), it was drank form a bowl instead  Forks were introduced in the 14th century’  Both Upper and Lower class has 3 meals a day  Breakfast is served between 6-7 am  Dinner is served in mid-morning from 12-2 pm  Supper is the substantial meal served from 6-7 pm. The upper class is accompanied by entertainment  The diet was mainly bread, pottage, dairy products like milk and cheese, and a meat, usually beef, pork, or lamb  Spoons were rarely used with liquid food (soup), it was drank form a bowl instead  Forks were introduced in the 14th century’

Lower Class  If lower class people were to poach (steal) from someone, the punishment would result in death or having their hands cut off.  The poor could not afford to buy spices for their food.  The Ploughman’s lunch of bread and cheese was also a stable diet for the lower class workers  They would eat from wooden or horn dishes  Most food was home grown  They were also not allowed to hunt for animals like dear, boars, hares, or rabbits.  Their diet includes: Rye or barley bread, pottage (a type of stew), dairy products, meat such as beef, pork, or lamb, home grown herbs and vegetables, fruit from local trees or bushes, nuts, and honey.  If lower class people were to poach (steal) from someone, the punishment would result in death or having their hands cut off.  The poor could not afford to buy spices for their food.  The Ploughman’s lunch of bread and cheese was also a stable diet for the lower class workers  They would eat from wooden or horn dishes  Most food was home grown  They were also not allowed to hunt for animals like dear, boars, hares, or rabbits.  Their diet includes: Rye or barley bread, pottage (a type of stew), dairy products, meat such as beef, pork, or lamb, home grown herbs and vegetables, fruit from local trees or bushes, nuts, and honey.

Upper Class  A bread called Manchet Bread (made with wheat from wheat flour) was consumed by the Upper Class  Their food was highly spiced  They had expensive spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves,nutmeg, ginger, garlic, saffron, coriander, mace, mustard, ect.  They ate with silver and gold dishes  Their diet would have included Manchet bread, a vast variety of different kinds of meat, fish (fresh and salt water), shell fish, spices, cheese, fruits, and a limited amount of vegtables.  A bread called Manchet Bread (made with wheat from wheat flour) was consumed by the Upper Class  Their food was highly spiced  They had expensive spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves,nutmeg, ginger, garlic, saffron, coriander, mace, mustard, ect.  They ate with silver and gold dishes  Their diet would have included Manchet bread, a vast variety of different kinds of meat, fish (fresh and salt water), shell fish, spices, cheese, fruits, and a limited amount of vegtables.

Preserving Food  They would preserve food in the summer to be eaten during the winter  It was not economic to feed animals in the winter because of the lack of food, so they would be slaughtered in autumn  Meat would be preserved in salt  There was two methods of preserving with salt  Dry-salting where the meat or fish was buried in salt and brine-curing where meat was soaked in salt water. Other methods of preservtion are,  Pickling - Pickling in a salt brine was the standard method of preserving meats and fish. Typical pickling agents included brine (high in salt) and vinegar  Gelatine - Jelly or gelatine was used for preserving cooked meat or fresh fish. Food may be preserved by cooking in a material, such as gelatine, that solidifies to form a gel  Smoked Food - Wood smoked food was a method use to preserve pork or fish  Drying - Most meats and fruit can be preserved through the drying process.  Candies - Fruits & nuts could be candied in order to prolong their life  Honey - Was used a preservative in mead  They would preserve food in the summer to be eaten during the winter  It was not economic to feed animals in the winter because of the lack of food, so they would be slaughtered in autumn  Meat would be preserved in salt  There was two methods of preserving with salt  Dry-salting where the meat or fish was buried in salt and brine-curing where meat was soaked in salt water. Other methods of preservtion are,  Pickling - Pickling in a salt brine was the standard method of preserving meats and fish. Typical pickling agents included brine (high in salt) and vinegar  Gelatine - Jelly or gelatine was used for preserving cooked meat or fresh fish. Food may be preserved by cooking in a material, such as gelatine, that solidifies to form a gel  Smoked Food - Wood smoked food was a method use to preserve pork or fish  Drying - Most meats and fruit can be preserved through the drying process.  Candies - Fruits & nuts could be candied in order to prolong their life  Honey - Was used a preservative in mead

Cooking Upper Class:  Had huge kitchens in their castles and were served by the sefs or servents.  The kitchens had cooking ovens,huge fireplaces, and roasting food. It also included a water supply with a sink and drainage.  The buttery was a room intended ofr storing and dispensing beverages  The bottlery was a room that stored wines  The pantry was a storage place for parishable food products  The storerooms, often located over the butery and pantry, were used to store non- parisheable kitchen items and products Methods of cooking:  Spit roasting  Baking  Smoking  Salting  Frying Upper Class:  Had huge kitchens in their castles and were served by the sefs or servents.  The kitchens had cooking ovens,huge fireplaces, and roasting food. It also included a water supply with a sink and drainage.  The buttery was a room intended ofr storing and dispensing beverages  The bottlery was a room that stored wines  The pantry was a storage place for parishable food products  The storerooms, often located over the butery and pantry, were used to store non- parisheable kitchen items and products Methods of cooking:  Spit roasting  Baking  Smoking  Salting  Frying

Drinks  The water in medieval times was often unclean  The poor drank ale, mead or cider  But the rich were able to drink many different types of wines  Cider is a drink made of apples made by pouring water on apples, and steeping them, so as to extract a sort of half-sour, half-sweet drink.  The water in medieval times was often unclean  The poor drank ale, mead or cider  But the rich were able to drink many different types of wines  Cider is a drink made of apples made by pouring water on apples, and steeping them, so as to extract a sort of half-sour, half-sweet drink.