What was pottage made of in medieval times?
Pottage had long been a staple of the English diet. During the Middle Ages it was usually made with wheat, barley, rye, or oats.
What food did medieval peasants eat?
Medieval peasants mainly ate stews of meat and vegetables, along with dairy products such as cheese, according to a study of old cooking pots. Researchers analysed food residues from the remains of cooking pots found at the small medieval village of West Cotton in Northamptonshire.
Did peasants eat pottage?
Medieval Food for Peasants They ate a kind of stew called pottage made from the peas, beans and onions that they grew in their gardens. Their only sweet food was the berries, nuts and honey that they collected from the woods. Peasants did not eat much meat. Many kept a pig or two but could not often afford to kill one.
What was medieval porridge?
Frumenty is a hot cereal porridge, which was made of wheat or barley cooked in milk (sweet) or broth (savory). Early recipes were plain, but over time spices, sugar and fruits were added. Some of the more decadent variations thickened it with eggs.
What went into pottage?
Their diet was predominantly vegetarian with the majority of their calories coming from their dark, dense, loves of barley bread, or rye. There were no potatoes or tomatoes yet, so their main vegetable crops were turnips, parsnips, leeks, onions, and cabbage.
Is there a difference between porridge and pottage?
The two terms are used to describe meals. Porridge, in its classical meaning, mainly refers to the original English oatmeal or other porridges made of grains. Pottage is widely used in Nigeria and many other African countries, mainly as a synonym to porridge. Both porridge and pottage in Nigeria mean the main dish.
What did most peasants eat?
Peasants generally lived off the land. Their diet basically consisted of bread, porridge, vegetables and some meat. Common crops included wheat, beans, barley, peas and oats. Near their homes, peasants had little gardens that contained lettuce, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, beets and other vegetables.
How did medieval peasants cook their food?
Lords of the manor, did not allow peasants on his land to bake their bread in their own homes. All peasants had to pay to use the lord’s oven. As well as bread, the people of Medieval England ate a great deal of pottage. The peasants relied mainly on pigs for their regular supply of meat.
What was pottage and who ate it?
A peasant food, it was a common meal throughout Europe in medieval times. Most peasants ate what foods were available to them at the time, so pottage became something of a catch-all term that has since come to mean something with little or no value. Pottage often included vegetables like cabbage.