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Breakfast was for losers -

For everyone else, it was believed that eating too early in the day was a form of committing the sin of gluttony. This nugget of wisdom came from the famous intellectual priest Thomas Aquinas.

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Breakfast was for losers -

Nowadays we're told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in the past it was only eaten by laborers and greedy people! Laborers might eat a small chunk of bread in the morning so they didn't pass out in the fields.

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The ideal meal plan -

The ideal daily diet would start with a light dinner at midday, and finish with a hearty supper in the evening. Although it was frowned upon, some people also ate a third meal at night called reresoper, which means "rear supper." It would usually include ale and wine.

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High-carb diet -

Bread and grains were a major part of the medieval diet. In fact, it's estimate that they ate 2-3 pounds (1-1.5 kg) of bread each day! That's more than an entire loaf of sliced bread.

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High-carb diet -

Common grains such as rye, oats, and barley would be made into porridge, and they also drank a lot of low-alcohol ale made from barley.

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Throwing back the ale -

It's estimated that the amount of rye bread eaten by one person on average was around 3,000 calories. Add to that an additional 1,500 calories worth of ale! It might seem like a lot, but a working peasant might toil in the fields for 12 hours a day in the summer.

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Baking was king -

Bread was such a big part of the medieval diet that baking was a hugely profitable industry. Bakers formed powerful guilds that were similar to unions. However, they often functioned like some kind of medieval mafia!

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Baking was king -

The guilds would fiercely protect the family recipes of their bakers to ensure that their unique styles couldn’t be stolen by competitors.

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Always cook your fresh fruit and veg! -

One of the strange beliefs circulating in medieval Europe was that raw fruits and vegetables were dangerous. It was believed that they carried diseases and could make you very sick.

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Always cook your fresh fruit and veg! -

For this reason, all vegetables, and even fruits, would be cooked in some way before consumption. This was quite handy for conservation anyway. They would eat a lot of vegetable stews and make fruit preserves.

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Meat -

Meat was a valuable commodity that most peasants couldn’t afford to eat very often. As a result, most people were happy to eat whatever meat they could get their hands on! The extensive list includes hedgehogs, swans, peacocks, and seagulls.

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Meat -

It was recorded that Archbishop Neville of York had an enormous feast in 1467. The guests consumed "104 oxen, 6 wild bulls, 1,000 sheep, 304 calves, 400 swans, 2,000 geese, 1,000 capons, 2,000 pigs, 104 peacocks, over 13,500 other birds, 500 stags, bucks and roes, 1,500 venison pies, 608 pikes and breams, 12 porpoises and seals.” Wow!

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Meat -

Drying meat was also a common practice among peasants to preserve it. This image from the Tacuinum Sanitatis, and 11th-century medical treatise, shows a couple hanging animal hearts to dry.

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Suckling pig -

Roasting a whole pig on a spit was a common practice in medieval times, but it was definitely a treat! The most luxurious kind was the suckling pig, i.e. a baby pig that is still nursing.

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Suckling pig -

Strangely, the baby pig was considered the greatest delicacy. The nursing mother was also appreciated, and even the “sow’s womb” was a gourmet treat.

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Fast food -

Not much happened quickly in the Middle Ages, but they did have their own forms of "fast food." Popular snacks like meat pasties, hotcakes, pancakes, and wafers would be prepared in advance and sold for quick consumption.

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Fast food -

The types of establishments that sold fast food weren't considered to be very reputable. They were generally thought to be dirty and dishonest, using bad meat and trying to pass off beef for venison.

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The importance of beans -

Considering that the average worker couldn’t afford to eat much meat, the cultivation of legumes was a game changer. Italian medievalist Umberto Eco argues that the widespread introduction of beans into the medieval diet is responsible for the survival of Western civilization during the Middle Ages!

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The importance of beans -

Prior to this point in history, the average person was unable to find sufficient protein for a healthy diet. Beans were a heart-healthy and easily accessible protein source.

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The importance of beans -

Eco theorizes that the introduction of beans helped build a strong and healthier population, capable of working properly in the fields, producing more children, and living longer lives. It’s true that the population in Europe doubled within a few hundred years!

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Almond milk -

It's surprising to learn that the people of medieval Europe also enjoyed one of the biggest vegan trends of the 21st century. However, they weren't doing so because of animal rights.

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Almond milk -

The Catholic Church decreed that meat and other animal products could not be consumed on days of fasting. As an alternative, chefs would make a milk out of almonds or walnuts that could be used instead of cow's milk.

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Desserts -

Dessert wasn’t something that most peasants were able to enjoy, but the middle classes and nobility would definitely indulge in sweet treats during a feast. Feasts would usually include many different courses, and, surprisingly, the desserts weren’t just served at the end.

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Desserts -

Several different desserts would be dispersed throughout the feast in between the savory dishes. It was thought that this cleansed the palate. Common desserts included pies and marzipan.

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Christmas dinner -

Christmas dinner is one of the most important meals of the year in Europe. The modern Christmas dinner is still pretty similar to what was eaten in medieval times. The centerpiece would be a roasted bird, depending on what they could afford. Common options were goose and woodcock. The wealthy might even eat swan.

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Christmas dinner -

Another popular Christmas dish was umble pie. It was a savory pie filled with minced or chopped innards such as liver, kidneys, and hearts, often from deer. It’s also the source of the expression to "eat humble pie."

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A heart-healthy diet -

Although the medieval period in history isn’t exactly famed for its knowledge of medicine, the average diet was actually a lot healthier than that of modern times. Most people were at a much smaller risk of developing heart disease or diabetes than we are today.

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A heart-healthy diet -

This is mostly attributed to the lack of refined sugar in the medieval diet. The average person would also get a lot of physical activity every day from working in the fields, which helped them to stay healthy.

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The next diet trend -

Perhaps the medieval diet could replace the lauded Mediterranean diet for the modern person trying to improve their health! But perhaps with the much needed addition of breakfast…

Sources: (The Atlantic) (Ranker) (The New York Times)

See also: What life was like in a medieval castle

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