Diet, Prejudice and Non-Verbal Communication: Liutprand of Cremona’s Embassy to Constantinople
Thanks to Liutprand’s sharp (and biased) report, we have the chance to peer into the cultural prejudices which characterized the relationship between the eastern and the western hemispheres of Europe
Cannibalism in the Icelandic Sagas: a bad habit or an ancient magical practice?
In Icelandic sagas, giants are described as awkward, evil and uncivilized, and curiously their diet mainly consists of two elements: horse meat and human flesh.
How Millets sustained Mongolia’s Empires
The new discoveries show that the development of the earliest empires in Mongolia, like in other parts of the world, was tied to a diverse economy that included the local or regional production of grain.
Christmas and Food in the Middle Ages
Here are five foods associated with Christmas that originated in the Middle Ages.
Six modern foods with medieval origins
Many foods still enjoyed around the world were invented in the Middle Ages, such as these six foods and drinks.
Why medieval people were fasting on Fridays
In British Library MS Harley 2253, there exists a short passage which explains ‘Reasons for Fasting on Friday’
How beer came to medieval England
It might be a surprise to some readers to know that this beverage was only introduced to England in the latter half of the fourteenth century, and that it arrived thanks to Dutch immigrants.
Scientists discover secrets of medieval beers
The DNA analysis of these yeasts showed how these specific hybrids originated in medieval Germany and later spread across different European breweries as the pilsner beers grew more popular.
Six Medieval Rules for Healthy Living
If you are looking for advice on healthy living, perhaps you should try reading the medieval text The Theatre of Health. It offers six rules ‘for the daily maintenance of health,’ five of which sound very modern.
The Medieval English Urban Cook
It utilises civic records, wills and probate inventories, literary sources, and archaeological evidence with the goal of building context which can inform the future study of medieval urban cooks.
Art, Fermented: Comparative Experimentation in Medieval Brewing
Comparing medieval to modern brewing, using the same base recipe.
The Cooks of the Canterbury Tales: The Backstage of Bourgeois Social Drama
This article aims at analysing Chaucer’s depiction of the cooks in the Canterbury Tales, and to discuss their function in contributing to the social changes as figures at the backstage of bourgeois social drama.
Study examines the food fallout from the Vandal sack of Rome
The findings suggest that the political upheaval following the Vandal sack of Rome in AD 455 and the 6th century wars between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines may have had a direct impact on the food resources and diet of those working at Portus Romae.
What the DNA of grapes tells us about ancient and medieval wine
A grape variety still used in wine production in France today can be traced back 900 years to just one ancestral plant, scientists have discovered.
Belgian abbey to recreate medieval beers
Grimbergen Abbey in Belgium has revealed it has received the permits to build a new microbrewery, where they will combine brewing traditions from medieval books from the abbey’s library with modern and innovative techniques to craft limited-edition batches of premium beers.
What did medieval peasants eat?
Researchers from the University of Bristol have uncovered, for the first time, definitive evidence that determines what types of food medieval peasants ate and how they managed their animals.
Straight from the Pot: Cuisine and Power in West Africa and in the Epic of Sunjata
The Sunjata epic describes the founding of the Mande Empire of the thirteenth century and bears the name of its founder.
From Haggis to Oyster Stew: Medieval Recipes from Liber cure cocorum
Looking to get some culinary expertise from the Middle Ages? Try these four recipes from the fifteenth-century.
Dried Fish and the Vikings
This month we’re taking a look at the modern cultural phenomena of “superfoods” and the latest Nordic sensation on the market – dried fish!
Merrie Medieval Recipes for Holiday Feasting
I’d like to suggest a few common and simple medieval recipes for your table.
Milk: Does a Viking Good?
For more adventures in weird “Viking” food, this month we’re delving deeper into the history of Viking Age and medieval Scandinavia and their culture of milk-drinking.
Medieval whisky still discovered in Scotland
A medieval structure, believed to be the remains of one of the oldest whisky stills ever discovered, has been unearthed at Lindores Abbey.…
Vikings: The Salty Dogs of the Northern Seas?
Can there be such a thing as ‘Viking Salt’? Beth Rogers, in the first post for her new column on Medieval Food, looks for the answers behind this unusual product and how the Vikings are being associated with healthy eating.
Food of Medieval and Renaissance Scandinavia
After the end of the Viking age, Scandinavian food culture changed due to contacts and cultural influences. The upper classes were inspired by dishes of continental Europe, and we start to get some literature that can give us more insights into the food culture.
Parasites from medieval latrines tell a story of changing dietary habits
A radical new approach combining archaeology, genetics and microscopy can reveal long-forgotten secrets of human diet, sanitation and movement from studying parasites in medieval poo.