People of the Middle Ages, especially nobles, had very bad nutritional dieting habits. Nobles rarely ate fruits and vegetables. Fruit was only eaten in pies or preserved in honey. Vegetables were only eaten in the form of a stew, soup, or pottage, and were mainly eaten by the poor. Only onions, garlic, and leeks (and such as) were eaten by nobles. Dairy products, excluding cheese, were also only consumed by the poor or lower classes.
Nobles/Upper Classes :
Highly spiced foods. Spices included pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, saffron, cardamon (now cardamom), coriander, cumin, garlic, turmeric, mace, anise, caraway, and mustard.
Diet:
• Manchet bread
• Vast variety of meat and game - venison, beef, pork, goat, lamb, rabbit, hare, mutton, swans, herons, and poultry
• Fish - fresh & salt water. Range of fish (such as) - herring, salmon, eel, whiting, plaice, cod, trout, and pike
• Shell fish - crab, oysters, mussels, etc.
• Spices (above)
• Cheese
• Fruits
• Limited number of vegetables
Poor/Lower Classes:
Very home grown. Only lords and nobles were allowed to hunt deer, boar, hares, and rabbits. The punishment for poaching could be having one's hands cut off or death.
Diet:
• Rye or barley bread
• Pottage ( a type of stew )
• Dairy products such as milk and cheese products
• Meat such as beef, pork, and lamb
• Fish - if there is access to freshwater rivers or the sea
• Homegrown vegetables and herbs
• Fruit from local trees and bushes
• Nuts
• Honey
By Carlie Throndson
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