Maybe your daughter wants to feel like Guinevere on her birthday. Maybe you and your buddies want to spice up your annual Super Bowl party with a medieval theme. Whatever your reasons, planning a menu for a medieval party can be tricky. Many of the dishes eaten commonly during the medieval period were unsanitary--not to mention unappetizing--by modern standards. However, there are several clean and tasty foods you can prepare for modern guests without sacrificing the spirit of authentic medieval food.
Pottage
Pottage is a kind of medieval soup that was eaten mostly by the peasant class. It commonly included various vegetables such as onions, garlic, peas and cabbage as well as other items like nuts, berries and pomegranate seeds. To make pottage of your own, combine vegetables and other items of your choice with water in a pot. If you want to give your guests a slightly higher class dish, add some bacon to the pot. Boil the mix until it forms a thick soup, then season to taste with salt, pepper, herbs and spices. While these seasonings are not authentic for the lower classes, they will help appease modern taste buds that are used to heavy seasoning.
Bread
Wheat bread was more common among the upper classes in medieval times, while peasants ate loaves made from rye and barley. The lower-class breads bore little resemblance to the light, fluffy loaves we know today. Instead, they were heavy, dark and chewy. Visit a bakery with a selection of artisan breads to buy authentic-looking loaves for your party. If you're going for a lower-class feel, choose a dark rye bread. If you're going for an upper-class party, pick a rustic-looking loaf of whole wheat bread.
Meat and Fowl
The upper classes ate a wide variety of meat and fowl dishes. If you don't want to go too far out of the ordinary, serve your guests steak, lamb chops or fish. If you're willing to go all the way for that true medieval feel, consider serving another of the common meats of the time. Deer, rabbits and geese were common foods for the upper classes, and serving these exotic meats can help transport your guests to another time and place.
Drinks
Because of the abundance of barley during the medieval period, ale made from barley was a popular drink. To preserve the authentic feel of your party, serve the ale in tankards or mugs rather than modern glass bottles. Wine, often sweetened and heavily spiced, was available among the upper classes, especially in France. Many supermarkets and liquor stores today carry mead, which is an acceptable replacement for this sweet wine. If you have guests who do not drink alcohol, serve another traditional medieval drink-water sweetened with honey.
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