If you have ever travelled to Europe you may have noticed that they tend to treat meals differently than we do in America. In Britain any afternoon meal can be called tea. Spain and Italy take two hour lunch breaks and everything shuts down during that time. Dinner in almost every country is more of an event with the meal lasting two or more hours with different courses and drinks. If you've ever been to a fancy restaurant that serves a course meal of more than appetizer, entre and dessert than you are closer to what it would have been like a medieval banquet. It was not nearly as gross and lacking etiquette that many movies portray. There was in fact a sense of hygiene and consideration for your fellow dinners. This article by Danièle Cybulskie discusses some of the etiquettes that were in place using primary sources as examples.
As for what they ate and drank there are many records available that discuss what provisions were ordered for different events and daily consumption. One of the big myths that permeate medieval movies and stories is that they did not drink water. In his article on the myth, Peter Konieczny presents many sources on the topic. For food the site medieval-recipes.com has many great resources for what recipes were popular. There are two manuscripts that have been hailed as the most important cookery guides, The Forme of Cury is in English and Le Viandier is in French. Many recipies have been translated from these by the John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF Paris). You can find a digital version of The Forme of Cury on the Project Gutenberg website.
All in all the types of food have not changed all that much. Most meals consist of fruits, vegetables, meat, bread and dairy just as they do today. The biggest differences are in the international availability we enjoy today. Many trade routes existed to bring to Europe spices from the East or exotic fruits and vegetables from the Middle East and Africa. After the discovery of the new world many new foods were introduced as trade across the Atlantic became available. As you plan your novel's world consider what level of trade was available and how that affects what your characters have at hand. Seasons also play a role in what might be accessible. Unlike our almost instantaneous transportation today which allows for seasonal foods to be imported from other regions, travel by horse or ship might limit your meal planning.
Now that you are thinking about what your characters might be eating you may have to make changes to your writing to wither limit or expand their food choices. For myself, I found that I had more options than I first thought because although spices from the East might be pricey and only used for special occasions I was able to incorporate them for those occasions. This made for some interesting character interactions since some may be new to the taste of say cinnamon or ginger, while others had them regularly.
How has food in your novel changed the narrative? Comment bellow on how this topic influenced you or your writing. Happy writing and research!
