The medieval peasant diet, a cornerstone of life for the vast majority of the population during the Middle Ages (5th to 15th century), was shaped by factors such as resource availability, social hierarchy, and religious practices. While the nobility indulged in luxurious feasts, the common folk subsisted on a diet primarily composed of grains, seasonal vegetables, and occasional servings of meat.
Staple Foods: Grains and Pottage
Cereals were the most important staple during the Early Middle Ages. The cuisines of the cultures of the Mediterranean Basin since antiquity had been based on cereals, particularly various types of wheat. Porridge, gruel, and later bread became the basic staple foods that made up the majority of calorie intake for most of the population. From the 8th to the 11th centuries, the proportion of various cereals in the diet rose from about a third to three-quarters. Dependence on wheat remained significant throughout the medieval era, and spread northward with the rise of Christianity. In colder climates, however, it was usually unaffordable for the majority population, and was associated with the higher classes.
For the medieval peasant, bread was a dietary cornerstone, though markedly different from modern varieties. Lacking access to refined grains, peasants relied on barley or rye to produce dense, dark loaves. In times of scarcity, alternative ingredients like acorns, beans, and peas were incorporated into the mixture. Interestingly, peasants were often mandated to bake their bread in the lord's oven, rather than at home.
Another staple of the medieval diet was pottage, a dish that falls somewhere between soup and stew. Pottage was a staple peasant food because it was so simple - all you needed was water, vegetables, and some herbs. It typically contained oats and whatever green things you are currently getting from the garden. It was left on the fire for 3 hours to cook (it prevented food borne illness - a little overkill, but they didn't exactly have germ theory).
Vegetables, Herbs, and Occasional Treats
Researchers analysed food residues from the remains of cooking pots found at the small medieval village of West Cotton in Northamptonshire. By identifying the lipids, fats, oils and natural waxes on the ceramics, the team found that stews of mutton and beef with vegetables such as cabbage and leek were a mainstay of the medieval peasant diet.
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Beyond grains and pottage, peasants supplemented their diet with available resources. The typical peasant didn't eat much meat or fish, but the sheep produced plenty of milk, which was turned into cheese. The occasional bit of goose, pig, lamb (needed the rennet for making cheese), or salt-water fish if near the coast (fresh-water fish were too valuable), were occasional treats but hardly a staple of the diet for the lowest farmer.
Herbs were also an important part of the medieval peasant diet. In rural areas, there would have been at least one neighbour growing a small herb garden out back, if you didn’t have one yourself.
The Role of Meat and Animal Products
While meat was a prized food, its consumption was limited for the lower classes due to cost and restrictions. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and their calendars, had great influence on eating habits; consumption of meat was forbidden for a full third of the year for most Christians. All animal products, including eggs and dairy products (during the strictest fasting periods also fish), were generally prohibited during Lent and fast.
An Anglophone farmer used plain Saxon words for his livestock: cow, pig, sheep, chicken. This difference in medieval food consumed between peasants and lords can even be seen in the food vocabulary of English today.
Drink
Drink available to peasants included water and milk. However, the water was often sourced from rivers and usually full of bacteria, while milk didn’t last very long due to the lack of refrigeration. Many villagers would drink ale to protect them from the germs in the water, but this took a long time to brew so barley was often used. This would be soaked for a few days and then germinated to produce malt. Once this had been dried and ground down, it would be fermented in hot water. In some cases the lords would allow peasants to sell this ale, but usually it was for personal consumption only.
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After that, much of their calories came from ale. One of the ways England was considerably different than the continent would be the presence of a lot of sheep.
Regional Variations and Social Status
Medieval food was often plain due to scarcity of resources and limited trade, but on celebratory occasions among the nobility the medieval food could become decadent. As in the modern day, the food and drink of Medieval England varied dramatically. While the nobility enjoyed luxurious feasts, peasants consumed only very basic meals.
Medieval society was highly stratified. In a time when famine was commonplace and social hierarchies were often brutally enforced, food was an important marker of social status in a way that has no equivalent today in most developed countries. According to the ideological norm, society consisted of the three estates of the realm: commoners, that is, the working classes-by far the largest group; the clergy, and the nobility. The relationship between the classes was strictly hierarchical, with the nobility and clergy claiming worldly and spiritual overlordship over commoners. Within the nobility and clergy there were also a number of ranks ranging from kings and popes to dukes, bishops and their subordinates, such as squires and priests. One was expected to remain in one's social class and to respect the authority of the ruling classes. Political power was displayed not just by rule, but also by displaying wealth. Refined nobles dined on fresh game seasoned with exotic spices, and displayed refined table manners. Rough laborers could make do with coarse barley bread, salt pork and beans and were not expected to display etiquette. Even dietary recommendations were different: the diet of the upper classes was considered to be as much a requirement of their refined physical constitution as a sign of economic reality. In the late Middle Ages, the increasing wealth of middle class merchants and traders meant that commoners began emulating the aristocracy. This threatened to break down some of the symbolic barriers between the nobility and the lower classes.
Religious Influences on Diet
The Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and their calendars, had great influence on eating habits; consumption of meat was forbidden for a full third of the year for most Christians. All animal products, including eggs and dairy products (during the strictest fasting periods also fish), were generally prohibited during Lent and fast. Additionally, it was customary for all citizens to fast before taking the Eucharist. Both the Eastern and the Western churches ordained that feast should alternate with fast. In most of Europe, Fridays were fast days, and fasting was observed on various other days and periods, including Lent and Advent. Meat, and animal products such as milk, cheese, butter, and eggs, were not allowed, and at times also fish. The fast was intended to mortify the body and invigorate the soul, and also to remind the faster of Christ's sacrifice for humanity. The intention was not to portray certain foods as unclean, but rather to teach a spiritual lesson in self-restraint through abstention. During particularly severe fast days, the number of daily meals was also reduced to one.
While animal products were to be avoided during times of penance, pragmatic compromises often prevailed. The definition of "fish" was often extended to marine and semi-aquatic animals such as whales, barnacle geese, puffins, and even beavers. The choice of ingredients may have been limited, but that did not mean that meals were smaller. Neither were there any restrictions against (moderate) drinking or eating sweets. Banquets held on fish days could be splendid, and were popular occasions for serving illusion food that imitated meat, cheese, and eggs in various ingenious ways; fish could be moulded to look like venison and fake eggs could be made by stuffing empty egg shells with fish roe and almond milk and cooking them in coals.
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Caloric Intake
The overall calorie intake is subject to some debate. One typical estimate is that an adult peasant male needed 2,900 calories (12,000 kJ) per day, and an adult female needed 2,150 calories (9,000 kJ). Both lower and higher estimates have been proposed. Those engaged in particularly heavy physical labor, as well as sailors and soldiers, may have consumed 3,500 calories (15,000 kJ) or more per day.