The Medaeval Pantry

Mainland Europe - most people had access to: Ham Acorns Fish Mollusks Fowl (chicken, pheasant etc) Carrots Onions Cabbage(Introduced to Western Europe from Cyprus in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.) Garlic Turnips and other root vegetables Legumes Potatoes (Introduced to to Europe by 16th century explorers. They were first regarded as curiosities but not readily embraced as food. The French and Irish were among the first to recognize the fact that potatoes could keep a nation from starving. Potatoes and corn was not used until the 16th century.) Peas Beans Foods gathered (and later domesticated) Apples (Most wild apples are crab apples with small, sour, hard fruit. The crab apple is the ancestor of many of the varieties of apples grown today. As a desert, apples were served with caraway. Apples and pears were usually cooked. Roasted apples were popular.) Pears Mushrooms Honey (the wealthy and royalty often cultivated hives to rob) Grapes Strawberries A Note - The wealthy tended to eat fowl more for their meat than their eggs but the poorer classes gathered their eggs for much needed protein rather than slaughtering them, assuring a continuing supply. On Salt Salt was both valuable and very limited. So valuable in fact that soldiers were often paid for their service in salt (thus the term "worth their salt" came into being). So, although our forbears had access to salt, in reality it was most used in preservation of food by the poorer classes and used as a table seasoning by the wealthy. Grains Wheat and barley (and to a lesser extend rye) were plentiful and used in making bread, pottages (an oatmeal like dish with either fruits or vegetables and meat in it for flavor) and stews. For the poor, barley was the mainstay of their nutritional existance. It was eaten at every meal in one form or another. The wealthy made their bread from wheat while the poor made bread from barley (which was easier to get and cheaper). Porridge and Pottage are two very similar dishes that are reminiscent of the oatmeal or other cooked grains today. Porridge was oats stewed with either milk or water, and served with salt or sugar and milk. Many types of grains and grain meals could be stewed in water to form a thick porridge like dish. Some sources describe "briw" or "brewit" as being made from rye meal, barley meal or oats served plain or with vegetables in it. Some types of porridges were fermented. Cooked grain dishes were also served with wine sauce, sherry and dried fruits by the walthy, but the poor ate the dish unadorned. It could be served with any meal at any time of the day. Dishes like plumb porridge or barley gruel were made from barley and water, with dried fruit added. Burstin was a dish made by roasting hulled barley grains, then grinding them. It was then served with milk. Frumenty was hulled wheat cooked with milk, cream and eggs and flavored with spices. This was a very easy way to cook grains. The grain only had to be cracked, not completely ground into flour. It was cooked in a pot at the edge of a fire. This one dish formed a basis for many other dishes, both sweet and savoury. It was served with meat, stock or fat, as well as with vegetables, fruits, honey or spices. It could be allowed to cool and set in a "porridge drawer". Then be sliced to be eaten cold or even fried. Pasta We know because there are recipes in period cookbooks that pasta of some sort did exist during period although, because of the lack of availability of finer forms of wheat (like Semolina), the pasta that was made then was likely thicker and may have actually had more of a flavor of its own than the pasta we eat today and probably looked more like the dumplings in Chicken and Dumplings than the spaghetti we toss with sauce and cheese. Drinks Although water was available, it was not always potable so cooks often times used ale, cider, milk and wine to cook with. Even for cooking it was recommended that water be drawn from a spring rather than to be taken from rain buckets. Milk was not given to children, sick people, and the elderly to drink because it could make ill those with a lowered immune system since pastuerization had not yet been discovered. Later in the period cooks realized that boiling water could sanitize it and teas became more well used as a drink. Although the cooks of the period used far more alcohol than we do, most ales and wines had a lower alcohol content than what we are used to (about 5% - that of your average modern beer). Liquors and strong ales could be purchased but were very expensive. Mead, favoured in Scandinavian and German societies, was known but not widely popular. It was made from sugars or honey with herbs and sometimes fruits used were used in flavoring. Cider and perry were also made from apples and pears. This was consumed both fermented and unfermented, and once bottling came about in the late 15th century, sugar could be added before sealing the bottle to make the drink frothy. Distillation as a process was understood in antiquity, but did not come into active use in drink-making until the 14th century. Cognac was said to have been invented in an attempt to cut down shipping costs for wine by removing some of the water. Whether or not this was actually true, the new product quickly found a market unadulterated. Spices Not all spicing depended on expensive imported ingredients. Mustard and savoury for instance, were local herbs which made foods more interesting, both in colour and flavour. The least expensive and most commonly used imported spices were probably cassia, ginger and pepper. Saffron was popular, but expensive, so safflower was often used instead. Sugar as we know it today was considered a spice and used sparingly until late in period. Other spices include: Cassia Cardamom (The first recorded use of cardamom appears in Ayurvedic texts from around 4th century BC as a cure for urinary tract infections and as a weight loss aid, and the ancient Greeks were already trading the spice by that time. It also gained an early reputation as an aphrodisiac and accordingly,) Cloves (European witches have used the spice in spells invoking protection, money and love since the Middle Ages, and by European tradition, taken with colonists to North America, cloves were carried in a small pouch by the bereaved as a source of comfort.) Caraway (Probably the oldest herb known to Man, it has been in use since earliest times.The whole plant is edible and, in this country during the Middle Ages, the root was boiled and eaten as a vegetable and the leaves chopped and used in soups, broths and salads. In Elizabethan England caraway seed cakes, breads and biscuits were common and a tradition grew up whereby farm labourers were given caraway cakes after wheat sowing. This was probably linked to the folklore superstition that the seed was supposed to inspire loyalty and fidelity.) Mace Zedoary Galingale (a couson of ginger) Grains of paradise Cubebs Spikenard Citron (Brought to Europe by Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BC, it was seen in early medicine as a cure-all and was even credited with being able to counter the effects of poisoning.) Corriander (One of the oldest known herbs used by Man. Hailing originally from North Africa, and was brought into Western Europe by the taste-loving Ancient Romans.Despite its supposed ‘nasty’ smell, the herb’s leaf has been used extensively in Mediterranean, Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking since the earliest times.) Spice mixtures were a very popular way to use spices although what was in them varied from place to place and even from household to household. For mild spicing, a cook might use a mixture called powder douce (a mild sweet seasoning powder) or a householder might pick up a mix from their local spice merchant. The following spices were available as trade routes developed. Cinnamon Pepper (European nobles found it indispensible during the Middle Ages, using it both as a seasoning and a preservative. It’s value grew to at least equal that of silver or gold and in 1204, the Venetians, who were supposed to transport the Fourth Crusade against Muslim Egypt, persuaded the penniless crusaders to loot the Christian city of Constantinople instead, wresting control of the spice trade for Venice in payment.) Nutmeg Ginger Herbs were fairly plentiful because they grew wild and after a time were domesticated. These were the most common. Rosemary Basil (European herbalists have also long used the crushed leaves externally for eye problems and to ease arthritis and internally for nerves, headaches and faintness. It contains rhymol, eugenol and camphor, making its essential oil an ideal ingredient for soaps, perfumes, mouthwashes and toothpastes, and it was the camphor especially for which it was once used mixed with snuff, in powdered form, to clear the head.) Sage Thyme Parsely Majoram Mint Fruits Earlier in the period, the fruit in a person's diet was what could be found locally growing wild but as trade routes and wars brought the Europeans into contact with the Asians and Mediteraneans the following became more plentiful in the European diet. Lemons Oranges (By the 15th century it had reached Western Europe, but mainly as an ornamental and spice tree. A spate of Orangerys appeared, the fruit being used for its perfume and as a base for the pomander, a spice-studded citrus fruit carried to guard against infection, first carried in the country by Cardinal Wolsey at the court of Henry VIII. The sweet orange, citrus sinensis, was brought to Europe from Ceylon by the Portuguese and, in around the mid-16th century, even sweeter varieties were introduced direct from China which gained favour in the orangerys of England. By the late 19th century, the Christmas stocking filler citrus recticulata, mandarin orange first arrived from China.) Wild cherries Grapes Citrus fruits began to be imported around 1290. Fresh and pickled lemons, and also Sevelle oranges. Other imports for the wealthy included currants, raisins, figs, dates and prunes. Dairy Milk was most likely to be cow’s milk from the late thirteenth century, but could also be goat’s or ewe’s and most people had a steady supply of milk. Popular milk dishes included frumenty and sweet curds and cheeses. Most milk that was drunk was partly skimmed, so that the cream could be used in cooking. Buttermilk, whey and watered milk were also drunk. And although the hard cheese that we eat today was not available until late in the period or was not eaten due to the idea that they might not be healthy (a misconception that held sway for awhile) a soft cheese similar to a thick yogurt was made as well as curds and whey or something close to what we know as cottage cheese. Later in period the French perfected the cheese making skills of the Romans to produce many fine and varied cheese and these skills slowly made their way around Europe, Scottland, Ireland and Scandinavia. In lowlands of Europe cheesemaking developed at a faster pace and cheesemaking from cows' milk became the norm. Thus development of cheeses such as Edam and Gouda came about in the Netherlands. These processes were copied elsewhere under a variety of similar names such as Tybo and Fynbo. A hard-pressed cheese, relatively small in size, brine-salted and waxed to reduce moisture losses in storage, these proved both marketable and easy to distribute. Cheeses were classified by texture. New or green cheese was a curd cheese and was made for quick eating, while soft cheese had undergone some maturation. Hard cheese was made with skim milk and had a longer maturation. Some cheeses were flavored and some used different types of milk or different ingredients to set the cheese. Brie was known for its soft cheeses, and Normandy for its green cheese known as “junket”, made of pure cream and rennet. During the Middle Ages, monks became innovators and developers of cheese making and it is to them we owe many of the classic varieties of cheese marketed today. The following cheeses were created or began to be used in the year given. Gorgonzola 879 Roquefort 1070 Grana 1200 Cheddar 1500 Parmesan 1579 Gouda 1697 Gloucester 1697 Sweet and Sour Both sugar and vinegar were both available in period. Sugar was expensive because it had to be traded for rather than produced locally. So although early Europeans had sugar by the late 15th century and it was "cane sugar" how refined it was and what color it was is still a question. The less wealthy probably had access to the leftovers from the refining process which was probably cheaper and used in recipes where the colouring didn't matter. Vinegar, which is produced when wine ferments past the stage where it is sweet to drink, was used in preservation of food as well as cooking. It was also used in healing to sterilize wounds (though I imagine this too was much later in period.) Fats and Oils Most recipes of the period almost always call for lard or something containing lard (like bacon) as the fat of choice. It was also used to keep the meat moist (when roasting, for example). Olive oil became staple of period cooking after Europeans made trade contacts with the Mediteranean countries. Meat, Fish and Fowl Although our medaevil counterparts had access to almost every form of meat that we have now, station and money controlled what they actually could eat. The closest most people got to eating meat on a regular basis was bacon or the use of eggs as protein. For those who could afford more, pork, mutton and beef were most often used. Meat delicasies such as swan or pheasant were available but usually reserved for feasts and special occasions and were available then only to the wealthiest people. Swans were the most expensive birds. They were tough and were served more to demonstrate wealth than to give people a gourmet treat. Cranes and herons were also showpieces. Like vegetables, fish was definitely eaten despite the fact that recipes for it appear with less frequency than other meats. Catching, cleaning and cooking fish were common sense skills, just like cooking vegetables. Herring was eaten all year round, usually salted. White fish were more expensive and usually eaten on fast days or during Lent. Eels were cheaper than fish, thus very popular. Shellfish were mainly eaten by the poor. Other sea animals such as seals and porpoises, were eaten on fast days. Some fish (whales, porpoises and sturgeons) were generally regarded as the fish of royalty and most people did not have access to them without permission. Whale meat, however, showed up on the market whenever a whale was beached. Favourite ways of cooking fish included frying, grilling, poaching and roasting. Other fish and seafood eaten include: Dogfish Porpoises Seals Haddock Cod Salmon Sardines Lamprey Dolphins Tunnies Mullet Sole Shad Flounder Mackerel Trout Crab Crayfish Oysters Brine and vinegar were used for short term (summer) meat preservation. Stronger preservation methods were used for winter. Meats would have had to be simmered for a long time prior to cooking to make them edible. The most common preservation methods were salting, which could be used alone, in brine, or smoking. Meats, such as rabbit and game, depended on availability and just how legal it was to eat them. Poaching was a serious offence in many areas. In England, until late the Middle Ages, rabbit was cultivated by the wealthy and was not a wild meat. Fowl was much easier to obtain on a regular basis than most meat. The wealthy and aristocrats caught birds for sport as well as for the table but the peasants would have caught it for fresh eating. Birds were a popular gift for celebrations such as the New Year. In London, Paris and possibly in other large cities birds were likely what we would call fast food today because they were available for sale precooked. The cheapest birds were sparrows – and many people would have kept their own hens and geese and ducks. Other common birds eaten were: Starlings Vultures Gulls Herons Storks Cormorants Cranes and peacocks (often displayed in full feather after cooking) Capons Chickens Of course, other varieties of bird, fish and other flesh were eaten. This was predicated on what they could hunt, gather or had access to and although a few of these items may well make you say..."Ick..." our medieval counterparts found these animals and dishes made from them tasty delights. According to Le "Ménagier de Paris" (J. Hinson (trans.) there are three sorts of birds, which cooks roast without cutting open; larks, turtle-doves and plovers, because their guts are sweet and without dung, because larks eat only pebbles and sand: turtle-doves, juniper seeds and sweet-smelling herbs: and plovers the wind. Also from the same source we are advised that hedgehogs should have their throats cut, be singed and gutted and then trussed like a pullet. From that point they must be pressed in a towel until very dry and then they can be roasted and eaten with cameline sauce, or in pastry with wild duck sauce. Further we are told that, should the the hedgehog refuse to unroll, put it in hot water and then it will straighten itself. The same instructions are given for Squirrels as well From "Wel ende edelike spijse" (C. Muusers (trans.) we are advised that sheep's penis is marvelous food. The source says to wash it well and clean it. Then temper brayed saffron, the yolks of ten eggs and a spoonfull of milk with fat and stuff the penis. But be careful not to overstuff it. Blanch it, then roast it. Sprinkle with powdered ginger, cinnamon and a little pepper. According to "Libre del Coch" , (R. Carroll-Mann (trans.) You can catch a fat cat and decapitate it. Once it is dead, throw the head away because eating the brains will cause you to lose your mind ("senses and judgment"). Then fillete it cleanly, open it and clean it well. Then wrap it in a clean linen cloth. Bury it in the ground for a day and a night then take it out and set it to roast on a spit. When beginning to roast it, grease it with good garlic and oil then whip it well with a green twig. Greasing and whipping it must be done before it is well-roasted. When it is roasted, cut the cat as if it were a rabbit or a kid and put it on a platter. Pour garlic and oil blended with broth over the cat. This is said to be an excellent meal. What they did not eat Certain foods were not a part of period cuisine until after the Europeans "discovered" the New World and were not introduced to Europe until after 1492. These foods include: Blueberries Corn Turkey Peanuts Cocoa beans Sweet potatoes Tea Coffee Pineapple Chocolate String beans Green peas (though white peas were known and eaten) Capsicum (including chilis) Maize Foods that may or may not be period The following foods may have been in period. There are references to foods by very similar names but as moderns we have no way to really know if our forebears are describing what we think they are. Use these foods in your dishes as you see fit. Broccoli Cauliflower The following items were know during the middle ages and people had access to them though they were seldom eaten. Bananas Asparagus Melons Pumpkin On Tomatoes Despite popular thought to the contrary, tomatoes have been grown as a food since the 16th century, though they have at times been considered both poisonous and decorative plants. The Italian name for the tomato is pomodoro, meaning "apple of love" or "golden apple," because the first to reach Europe were yellow varieties. Food Colorings Just because medevals did not have those nifty little bottles of food coloring we have did not mean that their food was bland or colorless. The following ingredients were used as food colorings. Reddish-brown – alkanet Yellow – saffron Yellow/brown – saunders Blue – lapis lazuli (for very wealthy only) Metallic – silver or gold leaf, finely beaten Blue – orchil lichen (alkaline food) Red – orchil lichen (acidic food) Green – parsley Yellow – egg yolk To darken a dish – burnt toast, blood Pizza in the Middle Ages Ok, there was no corner pizzaria for nobles of the middle ages to send a servant to for a pie. However, pizza in some form or another has existed from the times of the Romans and in 1522, when tomatoes were brought back to Europe from the New World (Peru) although the nobles thought that they were poisonous the poorer people of Naples added the new tomatoes to their yeast dough and created the first simple pizza. They usually had only flour, olive oil, lard, cheese, and herbs with which to feed their families so pizza was a complete meal and very nutritious. All of Italy proclaimed the Neapolitan pies to be the best. At that time, the Tavern of the Cerrigloi was a hangout for the Spanish soldiers of the Viceroy. It is said that they flocked there to feast on the specialty of the house - pizza. Eating Horse Contrary to popular belief the folks in the middle ages did not eat EVERYTHING in sight. However, English people were known to accuse the French of eating horse, as a national insult. <---Back***Home--->