Jeffrey Salazar
The average diet in medieval times was largely dictated by social class, with the nobility enjoying a more varied diet than the lower classes. The diet of the lower classes was typically high-carbohydrate, consisting of cereals, bread, stews, and pottages, with meat being a rare treat. The nobility, on the other hand, had access to a greater variety of foods, including meat, fish, and dairy products, as well as more exotic dishes like suckling pig and sow's womb. The church also played a significant role in influencing eating habits, with most Christians forbidden from eating meat for a third of the year.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Main food items | Bread, soup, meat, fruits, vegetables, porpoises, deer guts, almond milk, meat pies, hotcakes, pancakes, wafers, grains, cereals, wheat, rye, oats, barley, legumes, pork, beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, cheese, fruit juices, mulberry, cider, beer, ale, wine, olive oil |
| Food preparation | Boiled, stewed, roasted |
| Food perception | Food was classified from hot to cold and moist to dry and linked to Galen's theory of the four bodily humours. The ideal food was moderately warm and moist. |
| Food consumption | The diet was high-carbohydrate, with most of the budget spent on cereals and alcohol. Meat was highly valued but not readily available to the lower classes. |
| Eating habits | The Roman Catholic Church influenced eating habits. Christians were forbidden from eating meat for a third of the year. Feasts were alternated with fasting periods. |
| Eating utensils | Food was served on plates or in stew pots. Diners used a spoon or their bare hands. Forks were not in use. |
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What You'll Learn
Meat, fish, and dairy
Meat was a common feature of the average diet in medieval times, with cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and rabbits all providing food. Beef was the most common meat, although it was considered coarse and was more popular among the lower classes than the nobility. Veal, on the other hand, was more tender but never surpassed beef in popularity. Mutton, the meat of a sheep that is at least a year old, was also very popular and was sometimes the most expensive fresh meat available. It was considered preferable for the sheep to be between three and five years old before slaughter. The meat of adult goats and kids was also consumed, and the females provided milk that was used for cheese.
Pigs were considered "one of the most important sources of meat and fat" in medieval Europe. Nearly every part of the pig was used for food, with the hooves used to make jellies, the intestines used as casings for sausages, and the head sometimes served on a platter during festivities. The suckling pig was considered a delicacy, akin to how modern folks view lobster or veal. The mother pig, or sow, was also considered a delicacy, with the "sow's womb" appearing in medieval cookbooks.
Meat pies were a common form of "fast food" in medieval times, with vendors in larger towns and cities selling them ready-made to those without kitchens. However, these vendors were often viewed as "dishonest and dirty," and some made meat pies from tainted rabbit, geese, and offal or tried to pass beef pasties off as venison. Meat was also paired with bread and grains, with medieval folk consuming up to 2-3 pounds of bread and grains per day, including wheat, rye, oats, and barley boiled into porridge or made into bread.
In terms of dairy, milk came from cows, goats, and sheep, and was an important source of animal protein for those who could not afford meat. However, fresh milk was not widely available and was usually reserved for the sick, the poor, the young, and the elderly. It was often combined with eggs and heated to make a thick mixture called caudle or caudel. Most people drank buttermilk, whey, or milk that was soured or diluted with water, as there was no pasteurisation or technology to keep it from going sour. Almond milk was also commonly used, especially in the kitchens of the rich, as it was easier to keep fresh than cow's milk.
Cream was also enjoyed in medieval times, with wealthy people consuming it with strawberries, which grew wild in England as far back as the 14th century. Cream was also used in various dessert recipes, such as cheesecakes, custard, and custard tarts, as well as in cream soups and hot drinks like possets.
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Bread and cereals
Cereals and grains such as wheat, rye, oats, and barley were boiled into porridge, or made into bread. Bread was the most important item of diet in medieval England, with wheat bread occupying a prime position, and white wheat bread being regarded highly by consumers. Wheat bread was seen as a superior bread grain, linked with health, pleasurable eating, and the good life. The centrality of bread in religious rituals such as the Eucharist also meant that it enjoyed high prestige among foodstuffs.
The proportion of various cereals in the diet rose from about a third to three-quarters from the 8th to the 11th centuries. Wheat remained significant throughout the medieval era, though in colder climates, it was usually unaffordable for the majority of the population. In London around 1300, it was calculated that each inhabitant needed 1.65 quarters of grain annually, which would have included a large amount of wheat. Other main bread grains, such as maslin and rye, were also cultivated and consumed.
Beer was the commoner's drink in the north, and wine in the south. In England, the Low Countries, northern Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia, beer was consumed daily by people of all social classes and age groups. By the mid-15th century, barley, a cereal known for being poorly suited for bread-making but excellent for brewing, accounted for 27% of all cereal acreage in England.
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Vegetables and legumes
The medieval diet varied across time, region, and social class. For most people, it was high-carbohydrate, with cereals and alcohol forming the bulk of the diet. Meat was highly valued but expensive, and the lower classes could rarely afford it. Medieval diets were also influenced by the medical sciences of the time, which classified food according to Galen's theory of the four bodily humours. Food was classified as hot, cold, moist, or dry, and the ideal food was thought to be moderately warm and moist.
Various legumes, like chickpeas, fava beans, and field peas, were also widely consumed and provided an important source of protein, especially for the lower classes. Legumes were viewed with some suspicion by the dietitians advising the upper classes, who associated them with the coarse food of peasants and believed they caused flatulence. However, accounts from 16th-century Germany suggest that many peasants ate sauerkraut three or four times a day, illustrating the importance of vegetables in their diet.
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Alcoholic drinks
Distilling hard spirits did not become common practice until after the medieval period, although there is evidence that Irish monks were distilling spirits in the early 13th century. These spirits would have been unaged and made from whatever grains were available, likely oats.
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Food and social status
The diet of the nobility and clergy was more influenced by foreign cuisines than that of the poor, as they had access to expensive imports and exotic spices. For example, the finely sifted white flour that modern Europeans are familiar with was reserved for the bread of the upper classes. As one moved down the social ladder, bread became coarser, darker, and had a higher bran content. Similarly, wheat was common across Europe but was considered more prestigious and thus consumed more by the upper classes. Rice was also a fairly expensive import throughout the Middle Ages and was only grown in northern Italy towards the end of the medieval period.
Meat was highly valued by all but was more accessible to the upper classes due to its high cost. The clergy also restricted the consumption of meat by the lower classes, who were not allowed to eat it every day. Meat consumption increased after the Black Death, which caused a labour shortage and put more meat on the market. Before this, lower-class diets consisted mainly of grains, vegetables, and legumes. Various legumes, like chickpeas, fava beans, and field peas, were important sources of protein for the lower classes. The upper classes, on the other hand, viewed legumes with suspicion due to their association with peasant food and their tendency to cause flatulence.
The upper classes also had access to a wider variety of meats, including suckling pigs, which were considered a delicacy, and various wild birds. Swans and peafowl, for example, were only eaten by the social elite and were more praised for their stunning appearance than for their meat. Fish was also a prominent part of the upper-class diet, although it was up to 16 times more expensive than meat and was thus less accessible to lower-class people, especially those inland.
Overall, the diet of the upper classes tended to be of higher quality and more diverse, with access to foreign imports, exotic spices, and a wider variety of meats and fish. The lower classes, on the other hand, relied mainly on grains, vegetables, and legumes, with meat and fish as occasional treats.
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Frequently asked questions
The average diet in medieval times was high in carbohydrates, with cereals and alcohol forming the bulk of the diet for most people. Meat was highly valued but expensive, and lower classes often could not afford it. The Roman Catholic Church also forbade most Christians from eating meat for a third of the year. Medieval diets also included vegetables, legumes, fruits, and dairy products.
The stereotype of a whole roasted pig or boar is accurate. Pigs were an important source of meat and fat, with suckling pig considered a delicacy. Medieval people also ate beef, mutton, and various types of poultry.
Alcoholic beverages were preferred over water, as they were seen as more nutritious and less likely to be contaminated. Beer, ale, fruit juices, mulberry, cider, and mead were all commonly consumed.
Most cooking was done in simple stewpots, as this was the most efficient use of firewood and allowed for the preservation of cooking juices. Stews and pottages were therefore the most common dishes.
The diet of medieval peasants included meat (beef and mutton), vegetables (cabbage and leek), and dairy products such as "green cheeses."
