Category Archives: Food

Medieval Deer

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Ruth

The Anglo-Saxon word “deer” meant all wild animals in general, but it came to mean, in modern English, the one large wild animal that survived best in shrinking forest: the cud-chewing, horn-growing hoofed one. The red deer is the one … Continue reading →

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Medieval Wild Pigs

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Ruth

Wild pigs also roamed Europe in large herds. Boars had large, sharp tusks, but even without tusks, sows could be just as deadly. As omnivores, pigs could live anywhere. In the forest, they lived on acorns, while near towns, they … Continue reading →

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Europe: Early 1300’s Famine

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Ruth

In Northern Europe, the 14th Century was a time of very short life expectancy. France really had the worst of it, since their king from 1285 to 1314 was Philip IV “the Fair,” one of the worst kings in history. … Continue reading →

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At the Close of the 13th Century

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Ruth

Before going on to the momentous events of the 14th Century, let’s look at what Europe and Asia were like in the late 13th. Life was soon to change. Climate: First, and at the largest scale, a climatic maximum—-a warm … Continue reading →

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Medieval Hanukkah: Food and Light

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Ruth

Hanukkah celebrates the recovery of Jerusalem and rededication (chanukkah) of the Temple in 164 BC. The Maccabees, priests who also served as secular rulers, discovered that the holy oil had been profaned, with only enough pure oil left for one … Continue reading →

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Advent Fasting: Fish

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Ruth

The chief issue in fasts was to avoid all animal products, so most obviously, meat was right out. Fish, on the other hand, was okay for some reason. I don’t think there’s any real logic to it, though maybe others … Continue reading →

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Greening Up Arid Spain with Arab Water Tech

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Ruth

Spain and Portugal share a peninsula that is mostly a high, arid plateau. Portugal’s western coast receives most of the rain. The capital cities of Muslim Andalusia were clustered on the arid plateau; Cordoba gets about 7 inches of rain … Continue reading →

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The Last Supper and bread

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Ruth

The play about Jesus’ Last Supper was central to the message of the Feast of Corpus Christi: here, we see the first use of bread in the ritual that would become the Mass. Sadly, the Register copy of the Bakers’ … Continue reading →

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Spices as medicine

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Ruth

Imported spices fit very well into the Greco-Roman theory of the Four Humors. We still refer to many spices as “hot” in informal conversation, even if we mean nothing particular by it. They just took it seriously. In the early … Continue reading →

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Cooking containers

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Ruth

Containing liquids presents a set of problems; but when the liquids are heated to cooking temperatures, often to boiling, there’s another set of problems. Wooden buckets and barrels don’t work for cooking, even if a Girl Scout can boil an … Continue reading →

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