Medieval
Feast
Medieval
wedding feasts celebrated the day no matter what social class
the bride and groom came from. Some of the Middle Age food
that could have been served at a feast include: Roast quail,
turtledoves and partridge, goose, venison, roasted boar (sanglier),
gilded and slivered calves' heads, fish, roasted peacock,
mutton, cheeses, walnuts, fresh fruits, oysters steamed in
almond milk, ale-flavored bread, stewed cabbage, tarts and
custards, fresh fruit preserves and spicy mulled wine.
 Apples
were the only cultivated fruit, but others grew wild. Wild
fruits like pears, quinces, and even peaches were served on
some medieval tables. Strawberries raspberries, red currants
could be found in the woods. Nobility could afford exotic
foods like dates and pistachio nuts.
Many
kinds of vegetables were known during the Middle Ages, but
few were eaten. Vegetables of this period include: carrots,
cabbage, lettuce, leeks, cardoons, onions, shallots, parsley
and asparagus.
Feasts
were elaborate, and it was not uncommon for banquets to serve
up to six courses.
Spices
and Flavorings
Middle
Age spices used in cooking included: Cloves, cinnamon, saffron,
mace, pepper, ginger, anise, and nutmeg. Food was seasoned
with herbs like basil, parsley, sage, tansy, savory, betony,
and rosemary. Sugar was becoming increasing popular during
the Middle Ages, but it was expensive and only the wealthy
could afford it in great quantities. Honey was still the sweetener
of choice, usually supplied by the local monastery.
Middle
Age Salads
"Sallat,"
or salad, could have been made with chives, scallions, boiled
carrots, radish roots, young lettuce, and turnips. Herbs,
nuts, olives, vinegar and oil, even sugar could have been
included in a medieval sallat.
Wine,
Ale, and other Medieval Drinks
Drinks
during this period included water, ale, beer, mead, milk,
and wine. Cider became increasingly popular, starting in the
Basque country and moving northward. Fruit juices made from
cherries, sloes, and mulberries may have been available, but
most of them would have been fermented. Wine was believed
to nourish the body, restore health, aid digestion, clarify
ideas, open the arteries, cure melancholy and help in procreation.
Eating
Etiquette
 Guests
at a medieval feast would eat with their fingers, though forks
and sometimes a knife were used by some. Since little food
could be preserved, the guests would eat until the food was
gone. Napkins were becoming more popular. Glassware was becoming
more widespread, and traditional bread trenchers were being
replaced with wooden boards that had sections hollowed out
to hold certain courses.
Medieval
Dancing
Medieval
feasts would usually be followed by hours of dancing to the
accompaniment of vocal or instrumental music. Lords and ladies
would "round dance" and "carol," and this
was one of the chances young men had to meet damsels
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