Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Food

The Anglo-Saxons mostly ate cereals, vegetables, and fruits that they could grow in the British climate. Most were vegetarians because it was hard for them to obtain meat and only the rich could afford to pay for the slaughtering of an animal. Since most of the water in rivers was polluted, the Anglo-Saxons used barely to make a weak beer which they drank in its place. They ate fruits like apples, cherries, and plums. Pigs were killed only for their meat, especially since they had large litters that matured quickly and would be ready to slaughter. All animal fat could be used in making oil for lamps. (1)

Salting and smoking were the most used forms for preserving meat. "Dry-salting meant burying the meat in a bed of salt pounded to a powder with mortar and pestle. Brine-curing consisted of immersing the meat in a strong salt solution. Before cooking, the salted meat had to be soaked and rinsed."

Meat could be served in a custard-like mash with herbs. "A dish of this kind was blankmanger, consisting of a paste of chicken blended with rice boiled in almond milk, seasoned with sugar, cooked until very thick, and garnished with fried almonds and anise. Another was mortrews, of fish or meat that was pounded, mixed with bread crumbs, stock, and eggs, and poached, producing a kind of quenelle, or dumpling." Meat and fish were commonly made into "pies, pasties, and fritters."

"Herbs from the castle garden" were made into a paste and "mixed with wine, verjuice (the juice of unripe grapes), vinegar, onions, ginger, pepper, saffron, cloves, and cinnamon" to form various sauces. Mustard was used extensively.

Peas and beans were the main diet foods of the poor. "The rich they might be served onions and saffron."

Honey was used as a sweetener, "came from castle or manor bees" "Fruit from the castle orchard - apples, pears, plums, and peaches - was supplemented by wild fruits and nuts from the lord's wood." "Imported luxuries such as sugar (including a special kind made with roses and violets), rice, almonds, figs, dates, raisins, oranges, and pomegranates,[could be] purchased in town or at the fairs." Normal sugar "was bought by the loaf and had to be pounded," while "powdered white sugar was more expensive." (2)

Griddled Trout With Herbs
Serves 6

The herbs below are what might have been used in Anglo-Saxon East Anglia, but use whatever you might fancy. Try to use fresh, although dried is acceptable.

6 fresh cleaned trout
6 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1-2 tablespoons dried
75g (3 oz) soft butter
18 fresh mint leaves or 2 teaspoons dried leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried 6 fresh sage leaves or 1 scant teaspoon dried
1-2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
6-9 grinds black pepper

Put one sprig or generous shake of rosemary down the middle of each fish. Chop all the other herbs and seasonings and mash them into the soft butter. Use this to coat the fish generously on each side. Griddle, barbeque or grill it for 4-5 minutes on each side or till the skin is well browned and the flesh flaking off the bone. Baste now and then with the butter which runs off. Serve at once with lot of fresh bread and a salad or a simple green vegetable.(3)

Anglo Saxon Food and Drink

Anglo Saxons ate what they grew. They grew cereals - Wheat and rye for bread, barley for brewing and oats for animal food and porridge. vegetables - carrots, parsnip, cabbages, peas, beans and onions. fruit - such as apples, cherries and plums Exotic foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, pineapples - fruits and vegetables of the New World, were unknown to the Anglo Saxons. Drink Barley was used to make weak beer, which was drunk instead of water. River water was often polluted. wine was imported from the Mediterranean but only drunk by the very rich. Most Anglo Saxons were vegetarians because they could not get meat very often. Wild animals such as deer and wild boar were common but could only be killed by the the people who owned the land. Only a few Anglo Saxons were wealthy enough to pay for a slaughter of an animal. Animals Pigs were important for food because they produce large litters, which would quickly mature and be ready for slaughter. They were the only animals reared just for their meat. Every other kind of animal served other purposes and were only killed when they became old or ill. Sheep were reared for their wool and meat. Cows were used for their milk and, when they were old, for hides, meat and glue. All animal fat was valuable for making oils for lamps. Fish The Anglo Saxons ate fish which they caught in the rivers and the seas.(4) "Fenkel in Soppes" or Braised Fennel with Ginger Recipe The original version of this recipe comes from a collection of 196 "receipts" called "Forme of Curry" copied by Richard II's scribes by the order of his cook. This recipe serves 6 people. 750g (1 1/2 lb) trimmed, fresh fennel root; cleaned and cut in matchsticks 225g (8 oz) onions, thickly sliced 1 heaped teaspoon of ground ginger 1 level teapsoon of powdered saffron 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2 tablespoon olive oil 150mL (5 fl oz, 2/3 cup) each dry white wine and water 6 thick slices of coarse wholewheat or wholemeal bread (optional) Put the fennel in a wide, lidded pan with the onions. Sprinkle over the spices and salt, then the oil and finally pour over the liquids. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or till the fennel is cooked without being mushy. Stir once or twice during the cooking to make sure the spices get well distributed. Serve it alone with a roast meat or griddled fish or place one slice of bread on each warmed plate, cover it with the fennel and pour over the juices. (6) Summer Fruit, Honey, and Hazelnut Crumble Serves 6 ....A baked dessert like this would have been sunk in the embers of the log fire with a cauldron or pot upturned over it to form a lid... 1 kg (2 1/2 lb) mixed soft summer fruits-- raspberries, loganberries, strawberries, currants, bilberries or whatever is available honey or brown sugar to taste 75 g (3 oz) tasted hazelnuts 75 g (3 oz) wholemeal or wholewheat brown breadcrumbs Put the fruits in a pan or microwave dish with about 20 cm (1 inch) water in the bottom and cook gently for 10-15 minutes (4-6 minutes in microwave), or till the fruits are soft without being totally mushy. Sweeten to taste with honey or brown sugar (Saxons would have used honey); how much you need will depend on what fruits you have used. drain the excess juice and save to serve with the pudding. Chop the hazelnuts in a processor or liquidizer until they are almost as fine as the breadcrumbs, but not quite, then mix the two together. Spoon the fruit into an ovenproof dish and cover with a thick layer of hazelnuts and crumbs. Bake in a moderate oven (180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4) for 20 - 30 minutes or till the top is slightly crunchy and browned. Serve with lots of cream or plain yogurt and the warmed fruit juices. (7) Most meals took the form of a stew, soup, or porridge cooked over the central hearth of the house in a cauldron, accompanied with bread cooked in a clay oven or on a griddle. Amongst the poor meat was generally used in small portions as flavoring because it was expensive and not readily avaliable to those of little wealth. Wealthier people often had more meat in their diet. Vegetables were used when they were in season while meat was used more in summer and autumn. Some animals, such as pigs, were killed during winter, and their blood was collected and with the addition of flour and herbs was made into black pudding. Animal fat was used in cooking and to make lamps. Meat and fish were preserved through pickling, drying, smoking, and salting. Food was eaten with knives and spoons from bowls made of wood or clay. (8) Small Bird and Bacon Stew with Walnuts or Hazelnuts Serves 6 6 fatty rashers of bacon, chopped roughly 3 cloves garlic 4 pigeons or other small game birds (6 if very small) 225 g (8 oz) mushrooms, whatever variety, chopped roughly 75 g (3 oz) roughly chopped roasted hazelnuts or walnuts 300 ml (10 fl oz, 1 1/4 cups) real ale 150 ml (5 fl oz, 3/4 cup) water 2 or 3 bay leaves a little salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 coarse slices brown bread Fry the bacon, with the garlic, till it is lightly browned in a heavy bottomed casserole. Add birds and brown on all sides. Add the mushrooms and nuts, continue to cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ale and water with the bay leaves. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for 2 - 2 1/2 hours-- the birds should be falling off the bone. Remove the birds from the juices, cool juices completely and remove any excess fat. The birds can be served whole on or off the bone. If the latter, carve them while they are cold then return to the skimmed juices and reheat gently. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve either the whole birds of the slices on the pieces of bread, with plenty of the juices and "bits". A good green salad to follow is the best accompaniment.(9) Crustade of Chicken and Pigeon Serves 6 225-350g (8-12oz) wholemeal or wholewheat pastry (depending on whether you want a lid on your crustade) 1 pigeon 2 chicken joints (2 breasts or 2 whole legs) 150mL (f fl oz, 2/3 cup) dry white wine several grinds of black pepper 4 cloves 15 g (1/2 oz) butter 50g (2oz) mushrooms, roughly chopped 25g (1oz) raisins 3 large eggs salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Roll out 225g (8 oz) of the pastry and line a 20cm (8 inch) flan dish; back the crust blind. Put the pigeon in a pot with the stock, wine, pepper and cloves and cook very slowly for an hour. Add the chicken and continue to cook for a further 45 minutes or till the meat of both birds is really tender. Meanwhile cook the mushrooms lightly in the butter. Remove the birds from the stock and bone them. Cut the flesh into quite small pieces, mix it with the mushrooms and the raisins and spread them over the base of the flan case. Beat the eggs with a fork and season with the salt, pepper, and ginger. Add 240mL (8floz, 1 cup) of the cooking juices and pour over the meat in the flan case. If you want to have a lid, roll out the rest of the pastry and cover the flan. Bake it in moderate oven (180C, 350F, Gas Mark4) for 25 minutes if uncovered, 35 minutes if covered. Serve warm with a good green salad. For a more 20th century flavor-- double the chicken, leave out the pigeon, and substitute 25g (1 oz) chopped fried bacon for the raisins.(10)

This is a picture of an Anglo-Saxon drinking horn. (11)

Sources

(1).http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/saxons/food.htm

(2) http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales14.htm
(3) http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html

(4) http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/saxons/food.htm
(6).http://www.cs.cmu.edu/People/mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html
(7). http://www.stavacademy.co.uk/mimir/asrecipes.htm#summer
(8).http://www.regia.org/food.htm
(9)http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw//recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html#7
(10)http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html#1
(11) http://www3.gettysburg.edu/~cfee/courses/English4012001/bmtaplowhorn.JPG