Medieval Food History

Medieval food as most people think about it are from experiences at entertainment events for Medieval banquets, shows and jousting competitions. Everyone is gnawing a huge chicken leg, gnawing on bread and slurping soup from a bowl. It may then come as a surprise to many that these items were not the main menu and cutlery was indeed used during the Middle Ages.

In the Middle Ages, there were two classes of people. There were the rich people and the poor people. The two classes had similar Medieval foods but the menus were different in many ways.

Medieval foods for the poor primarily consisted of barley, including the barley ale that was consumed as drink for the meals. Bread was even made from barley. To make eating more enjoyable, the poor would grow herbs, spices and vegetables to add to their barley based Medival meals. The poor even learned how to make cheese to add to their breads and gather fruit to eat as a desert. Fires were made in the early morning and kept burning all day. Large pots would have water in them and food gathered throughout the day would be tossed in the pot for cooking. Toward the end of the day, the mixture was then thickened before eating.

The rich people had better Medieval foods to select from for meals. The women of this class would show their wealth by gathering food from other areas such as India and filling tables with huge feasts. Instead of barley for their food, the rich were able to enjoy wheat instead of barley. In addition, the rich were able to spice their Medieval foods with salt, sugar and cinnamon.

During Medieval banquets, large blocks of salt would be set on the table for guests to use during the meal. Because salt was so expensive, there was usually only one or two blocks on the table. The wealthier guests were seated near the salt and the poor were not able to reach it during the meal. Out of this practice came the phrase, "Above the salt", meaning a rich person.