Food was a great source of pleasure and was consumed in vast quantities by the nobles of the time. Course after course would be devoured, poultry, fish and red meat was served in rich sauces. It was to be eaten with a knife and fingers on trencher bread (a coarse usually stale slice of bread) which was then generously discarded to the poor.
Due to practical convenience medieval people generally dined twice a day. Dinner (the first meal of the day) was served at noon. As cookery became more complex it took that long for the chefs to prepare the meal, which sometimes pushed it past the middle of the day. The supper meal was served at seven or eight oclock when the useful daylight hours had passed. The second main meal was more of necessity to tide a person over until dinner at noon the next day. They believed it to be a most dangerous practice to eat before a previous meal had made its way out of the stomach.
The following is a quote from the teachings of the Medical School of Salerno, John of Milan, he advised - Rise at five, dine at nine, sup at 5, retire at 9, for a long life.
Meals were served with an aim to be of rich colors and textures. Especially with sauces, broths and pies. Red, blue, yellow, greens, greys and even black was achieved though yellow was undoubtable the favourite.
A fashionable yeoman who came from a great banquet once told - without bread and wine and ale, no one at a feast will be at ease.
Some meals served for a medieval feast - boars head large joints of meat, peasants and Lombardy Custard in the first serving venison and furmenty, stuffed with piglet and great pies Blandesore, partridge, rabbits and fritters. It was not uncommon for more than twenty courses to be served.
THERE IS MORE TO COME...
