6 Foods Families Really Ate During the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages encompassed a thousand years of European exploration, culture, war, religion, disease, and the rise and fall of kingdoms. From AD 500 to 1500, humanity lived through the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages, carving stories in time with swords, ships, and spelt.

People of various social classes enjoyed a range of foods, with quality and variety rising alongside status. Wealthier families seasoned their meals with imported peppers and spices and sipped wines from across Europe.

On peasants’ tables were simpler ingredients: unrefined grains, fruits, vegetables, and hearty porridges. The foods families ate during the Middle Ages reveal a lot about their daily lives and the evolution of society over centuries.

Let’s set the table, ready our utensils, and take a bite out of six foods families really ate during the Middle Ages, some of which we still enjoy today!

1. Meats
2. Fruits and Vegetables
3. Frumenty
4. Bannock
5. Nuts and Seeds
6. Fish

Meats

According to Rosslyn Chapel, archaeologists exploring ancient European sites found animal bones, confirming that meat was part of the medieval diet. For peasants, meat was a delicacy, while middle-class families who owned cows and goats could enjoy it more regularly. These animals were often slaughtered in nearby towns, so villagers didn’t have to travel far to obtain meats like ham or bacon.

The wealthy indulged in the finest cuts of meat, fresh pork with the best imported seasonings, and dined on seasonal fare like rabbit and lamb.

Fruits and Vegetables

Both the rich and poor ate fruits and vegetables. Many lower- and middle-class families grew their own gardens, harvesting peas, beans, onions, apples, leeks, berries, pears, and greens.

Wealthy households enjoyed wine made from fermented grapes, especially when hosting elaborate dinner parties.

Frumenty

These celebrations were rare for peasants, who often prepared frumenty, a porridge made by mixing wheat with milk. This dish was regularly served with meat.

To make frumenty, wheat was first boiled in water. Sometimes milk or beef broth was added, and on occasion egg yolks, saffron, deer meat, or mutton elevated the dish.

Bannock

Peasants also made their own flatbread called bannock, using oats, barley, dried peas, and beans. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, this bread was a Scottish staple, with one variety, Selkirk bannock, made with wheat flour and fruit. These breads were often enjoyed during religious holidays, but superstition warned against stirring the batter clockwise, as it was assumed to bring bad luck to a household. 

Wealthier families preferred white bread made from refined grains. Sometimes, they used it to soak up meat juice, and any leftovers were given to animals or the poor.

Nuts and Seeds

Like fruits and vegetables, peasants harvested nuts and seeds to add nourishment to their meals. Archaeologists confirmed the presence of seeds in medieval diets through discoveries at ancient sites.

Wealthy families stored nuts in large jars for guests on special occasions, and nuts were sometimes given as gifts to loved ones.

Fish

Those with means enjoyed fresh ocean fish, serving the most luxurious varieties at dinner parties, especially during Lent, when Catholics believed it was inappropriate to eat meat. Families living along the coast ate herring and mackerel, while those with homes near rivers dined on eels, pike, perch, trout, sturgeon, and salmon, according to Tastes of History.

Peasants also ate fish, though not as fresh as selections enjoyed by the wealthy. To add flavor, they would pickle and salt fish or smoke, dry, and add it to stews.

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