Serfdom, a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, shaped the lives and diets of a significant portion of the medieval population. Specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems, this system dictated not only the labor obligations of serfs but also their access to food and resources. This article explores the diet of serfs within a historical context, examining the factors that influenced their food consumption, the common foods they ate, and how their diet differed from that of the nobility.
The Foundation of Serfdom and Manorialism
The hub of the medieval rural community and reason for a serf’s existence was the manor or castle - the estate owner’s private residence and place of communal gatherings for purposes of administration and legal matters. The relationship of the peasantry to these manors and their lords is known as manorialism. The idea of people of different social levels living together on a single estate for mutual benefit goes back to Roman times when countryside villas produced foodstuffs on their surrounding land. As the Roman Empire declined and foreign raids and invasions became more common, the security of living together in a protected place had distinct advantages. The lord of an estate gave the right to live and work on his land to the peasantry in return for their labour service. Peasants were either free or unfree, with the latter category known as serfs or villeins.
Medieval serfs (aka villeins) were unfree labourers who worked the land of a landowner (or its tenant) in return for physical and legal protection and the right to work a separate piece of land for their own basic needs. Making up at least 75% of the medieval population, serfs were not slaves as only their labour could be bought, not their person, although they were subject to certain fees and restrictions of movement which varied according to local custom. Serfdom evolved in part from the slavery system of the old Roman Empire. In addition to those born into serfdom, many free labourers unwittingly became serfs because their own small plot of land was barely sufficient for their needs.
Some country estates covered as little as a few hundred acres, which was just about enough land to meet the needs of those who lived on it. The smallest unit of land was called a manor. Manors could be owned by the monarch, aristocrats or the church, and the very rich could own several hundred manors, collectively known as an ‘honour’. The majority of manors were like small villages as they created self-contained and independent communities. Besides a manor and/or castle, the estate had simple dwellings for the labourers and might also include a small river or stream running through it, a church, mill, barns and an area of woodlands. The land of the estate was divided into two main parts. The first part was the demesne (domain) which was reserved for the exclusive exploitation of the landowner. Typically, the demesne was 35-40% of the total land on the estate. The second part was the land the labourers lived and worked on for their own daily needs (mansus), typically around 12 acres (5 hectares) per family.
Labor Obligations and Restrictions
Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the lord of the manor who owned that land. In return, they were entitled to protection, justice, and the right to cultivate certain fields within the manor to maintain their own subsistence. Serfs were often required not only to work on the lord's fields but in his mines and forests and to labour to maintain roads.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
The most important task of serfs was to work on the demesne land of their lord for two or three days each week, and more during busy periods like harvest time. All of the food produced from that land went to the lord. It was sometimes possible for a serf to send a family member (providing they were physically able) to perform the labour on the demesne in their place. On the other days of the week, serfs could farm that land given to them for their own family’s needs.
A major difficulty of a serf's life was that his work for his lord coincided with, and took precedence over, the work he had to perform on his own lands: when the lord's crops were ready to be harvested, so were his own.
Serfs had a specific place in feudal society, as did barons and knights: in return for protection, a serf would reside upon and work a parcel of land within the manor of his lord. One rationale held that serfs and freemen "worked for all" while a knight or baron "fought for all" and a churchman "prayed for all"; thus everyone had a place (see Estates of the realm). The serf was the worst fed and rewarded.
Taxes, Tithes, and Fees
Aside from payment to their lord of a regular percentage of the foodstuffs produced on their own land, the peasantry had to pay a tithe to the local parish church, typically one-tenth of the peasant’s harvest. The latter was used to maintain a priest, the church and provide a small welfare fund for the poor. In addition to those two heavy costs, a serf was obliged to pay fines and certain customary fees to their lord such as on the marriage of the lord’s eldest daughter, or on the death of a serf in the form of an inheritance tax paid by the serf’s heir. Fines were usually paid in kind for most of the medieval period, for example in the shape of the best animal the serf had.
In addition to service, a serf was required to pay certain taxes and fees. Taxes were based on the assessed value of his lands and holdings. Fees were usually paid in the form of agricultural produce rather than cash. The best ration of wheat from the serf's harvest often went to the landlord. Generally hunting and trapping of wild game by the serfs on the lord's property was prohibited. On Easter Sunday the peasant family perhaps might owe an extra dozen eggs, and at Christmas, a goose was perhaps required, too. When a family member died, extra taxes were paid to the lord as a form of feudal relief to enable the heir to keep the right to till what land he had. Often there were arbitrary tests to judge the worthiness of their tax payments. A chicken, for example, might be required to be able to jump over a fence of a given height to be considered old enough or well enough to be valued for tax purposes.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Staple Foods of the Serf Diet
Food was an obsession for the medieval society but the majority of population consisting of serfs had to be satisfied with little. Their main foods were gruel and porridge combined with whatever was available in the nature like cabbage, beets, onions, garlic, carrots, various legumes such as beans and peas, and variety more or less nutritious vegetables. Cereals such as rye, barley, buckwheat, millet and oats were the main ingredients of the majority of meals of all classes of medieval society, while bread became one of the basic foods in the 12th and 13th century.
Typical peasant food consisted of coarse bread made from wheat and rye or barley and rye; porridge made from barley or rye; and thick soup made from any of the following: cereals, peas, cabbage, leeks, spinach, onions, beans, parsley and garlic. The better-off peasants had milk, cheese and eggs, and meat was another rare luxury as farm animals were much more valuable alive, the most common meat being salted pork or bacon. Dried and salted fish and eels were available at a price. Fruit, usually cooked, included apples, pears and cherries, and wild berries and nuts were collected, too. The main drinks were weak ale or water with honey added.
Limited Access to Meat and Animal Products
The better-off peasants had milk, cheese, and eggs, but meat was a rare luxury. Farm animals were much more valuable alive, providing labor and resources. The most common meat consumed was salted pork or bacon, which could be preserved for longer periods. Dried and salted fish and eels were available, but often at a price that made them inaccessible to the poorest serfs.
Religion played an important role in the medieval food and cuisine. The Christians were forbidden to eat meat and all animal products with exception of fish on certain days like Lent and fast. Pork was the prevalent meat, while its importance in medieval cuisine also reveal the Labours of the Months which depict twelve scenes of rural activities for each month of the year and dedicate two months to the pigs.
Regional Variations in Diet
The specific foods available to serfs varied depending on the region and local climate. In Mediterranean countries, lemons, citrons, bitter oranges, pomegranates, quinces, and grapes were consumed. In Central and Northern Europe, apples, pears, plums, and strawberries were more common.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Contrasting Diets: Serfs vs. Nobility
Medieval social elites paid lot of attention to food not only for pleasure but also to express their wealth and social status. Food was considered a status symbol and medieval banquets, large meals or feasts organized on special events and occasions such as birthdays, weddings, holidays and various charitable gatherings or celebrations are the best evidence. Besides quantity and diversity of food that was served and revealed the social status of its organizer the medieval banquets also determined the social status of a guests by his/her seating place on which greatly depended the food that was served. Guests ranked lower in the social hierarchy were served with less exquisite foods. Gluttonous eating and drinking was very characteristic for the medieval nobility as well as for the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church which played a key role in the emergence of medieval vineyards.
Nobility and other wealthy individuals ate meat of domesticated animals such as pork, lamb and mutton, chicken and beef as well as wild game which was a privilege of the medieval nobility. Those who lived close to water also ate fish which was considered less prestigious and was often eaten as an alternative to meat on fast days. Alcoholic beverages were preferred drinks during the Middle Ages: wine, bear and ale depending from geographical position. Fruits served fresh, dried or preserved were popular during the Medieval Times and were often used as sweeteners because sugar and honey were very expensive and unaffordable to the majority of the medieval population.
The diet of serfs starkly contrasted with that of the nobility. While serfs subsisted on basic grains, vegetables, and occasional bits of meat, the nobility enjoyed a diverse and abundant diet rich in meat, fish, spices, and imported goods. Food served as a status symbol, with elaborate banquets showcasing the wealth and power of the elite.
Social Life and Leisure
A serf had leisure time on Sundays and on holidays when the most popular pastimes were drinking beer, singing, and group dancing to music from pipes, flutes and drums. There were games like dice, board games and sports such as hockey and medieval football where the goal was to move the ball to a predetermined destination and there were few, if any, rules. Serfs did get to live it up a little once a year when, by tradition, they were invited to the manor on Christmas day for a meal.
Gradual Decline of Serfdom
The institution of serfdom was gradually weakened by several developments in the late Middle Ages. The sudden population declines caused by wars and plagues, particularly the Black Death (which peaked between 1347-1352 CE) meant that labour was in short supply and thus expensive. Another trend was for free labourers to leave the countryside and seek their fortunes in the growing number of towns and cities. Runaway serfs could similarly try their luck and there was even a custom that by living for one year and a day in a town a serf earned his freedom. Without sufficient labour, many estates were abandoned. This situation gave serfs leverage to negotiate a better deal for themselves, even to receive a payment for their work. The greater use of coinage in medieval society helped make this possible and worthwhile. Serfs increased their political power by acting collectively in village communities which began to hold their own courts and which acted as a counterweight to those of the landed gentry. Finally, there were sometimes serious revolts by the peasantry against their masters: the years 1227 CE in the northern Low Countries, 1230 CE on the lower Weser in northern Germany and 1315 CE in the Swiss Alps all witnessed violent peasant armies getting the better of those involving aristocratic knights. A major but unsuccessful peasant revolt which called for the end of serfdom occurred in England in 1381 CE.
The decline of serfdom in Western Europe has sometimes been attributed to the widespread plague epidemic of the Black Death, which reached Europe in 1347 and caused massive fatalities, disrupting society. Conversely, serfdom grew stronger in Central and Eastern Europe, where it had been less common (this phenomenon was known as "second serfdom"). In Eastern Europe, the institution persisted until the mid-19th century.
Serfdom in Other Cultures
Social institutions similar to serfdom were known in ancient times. The status of the helots in the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta resembled that of the medieval serfs.
Throughout Chinese history, land-bound peasants were considered freemen in law but depended entirely upon the landowner for subsistence. In this system of serfdom, peasants could be traded, punished without due process of law, and made to pay tribute to the lord with labour. In the Aztec Empire, the Tlacotin class held similarities to serfdom.
tags: #diet #of #serfs #historical #overview