When we think of Medieval food we tend to think of bland foods such as porridge and gruel and turnips, lots of turnips, all washed down with plenty of ale or mead. And whilst this image is, to an extent, correct a lot of what we envisage is influenced by the movies. What must be remembered is that the Medieval age extends from the 5th to the 16th centuries. Essentially from the fall of Rome to the Tudor age and foods along with cooking methods developed dramatically during this time.
Certainly, if you are a farmer in the early modern period would have limited your diet. For most of the time you would have the fields for your Lord and the rest of the working time you have you work your own land to feed your family. But crashed after the death of the black population, and new land was available for everyone, so the plight of the poor improved significantly.
As a result of later Medieval cuisine was varied and a lot better in quality. The Crusades brought new spices to Europe, and reading through the medieval cookbooks, it is amazing how strong flavored foods.
The Medieval age is also the age of the beginnings of the true cookbook. We have several examples across the great houses of Europe. It’s also the age of the first ‘super chefs’ where chefs came to prominence in the royal kitchens and scribes were set to write down what the chefs did and how the dishes were created.
It should also be noted that much of what was eaten was dictated by the church and over half the days in the year were meat-less or ‘fish’ days. As a result almost everyone was fed-up of eating fish and new and interesting methods were always being devised to serve these fish dishes. Another thing to remember is that a lot of the carbohydrate staples we are used to today (potatoes etc) hadn’t been discovered yet. As a result wheat, barley, for more details visit to www.chicken-wing-cookbook.com oats and rice were the staples and these were often made into gruels or pottages with almond milk. Bread was also very important and often the bread was used as a plate substitute. Though, for the poor they ate with a spoon off a wooden plank.
Important for both meat and carbohydrate pie, was designed for a very sophisticated formal dining pie has emerged as a source.
The recipe is a classic of the period following sweet, and sour fish with:
Medieval Sweet and Sour Fish
6 firm white fish steaks
olive oil for frying
500ml dry red wine vinegar
4 tbsp honey
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cubeb pepper
Gently poach the fish in water or milk until it just flakes with a fork, then let drain well and set aside. Meanwhile, the red wine vinegar, honey, combine for more information visit www.300-dip-recipes.com onions and spices in a large frying pan. Bring to a boil and taste for sweetness (add more honey if necessary). Continue cooking for about 12 minutes or until the onion is completely soft.
Add some olive oil in a pan and fry to use the poached fish on both sides until crisp and lightly browned. Remove fish from oil and leaking. Arrange in a shallow bowl and ladle serving the sauce over the top.
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