![]() ![]() As each level of society imitated the one above it, innovations from international trade and foreign wars from the 12th century onwards gradually disseminated through the upper middle class of medieval cities. Because of this, the food of the nobility was more prone to foreign influence than the cuisine of the poor it was dependent on exotic spices and expensive imports. ![]() Slow transportation and food preservation techniques (based exclusively on drying, salting, smoking and pickling) made long-distance trade of many foods very expensive. Cod and herring were mainstays among the northern populations dried, smoked or salted they made their way far inland, but a wide variety of other saltwater and freshwater fish was also eaten. ![]() The most prevalent butcher's meats were pork, chicken and other domestic fowl beef, which required greater investment in land, was less common. Meat was more expensive and therefore more prestigious and in the form of game was common only on the tables of the nobility. (Phaseolus beans, today the "common bean," were of New World origin and were introduced after the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century.) Fava beans and vegetables were important supplements to the cereal-based diet of the lower orders. Barley, oat and rye among the poor, and wheat for the governing classes, were eaten as bread, porridge, gruel and pasta by all members of society. Cereals remained the most important staples during the early Middle Ages as rice was a late introduction to Europe and the potato was only introduced in 1536, with a much later date for widespread usage. During this period, diets and cooking changed less across Europe than they did in the briefer early modern period that followed, when those changes helped lay the foundations for modern European cuisine. "Medieval cuisine includes the foods, eating habits, and cooking methods of various European cultures during the Middle Ages, a period roughly dating from the 5th to the 15th century. The Black Death resulted in a far smaller population, more food was available and even the poor were able to eat meat.This is a thread to discuss and add books, etc. The Black Death reached England by 1346 and ravaged the land for nearly 60 years. ![]() The population of the Middle Ages dropped - the Black Death claimed a third of the World's population and 200 million people died. The Black Death spread across Europe with devastating effect. The amount of food available in the Middle Ages world changed in 1328. And in the early Middle Ages era even meat was a sign of wealth. Middle Ages Food varied according to status and according to the Middle Ages period. The poor could not afford the new range of spices. The differences of The Middle Ages Food consumed by the Upper and Lower Classes changed significantly. As they were exported, these spices were expensive. It became a status symbol to serve food with herbs and spices. Various goods were exported from the Far East including spices. The preparation and content of Middle Ages food underwent a 'sea change - into something rich and strange'.Ī change in the economy influenced Middle Ages Food It must be remembered that the preparation of Middle Ages Food was of special interest to the women of the era, many of whom accompanied men on the Crusades. Travel certainly broadened the mind of the Crusaders who developed a new and unprecedented interest in beautiful objects and elegant manners. The elegance of the Far East, with its silks, tapestries, precious stones, perfumes, spices, pearls, and ivory, was so enchanting that an enthusiastic crusader called it "the vestibule of Paradise". A culture change influences Middle Ages Food ![]()
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