CUISINE OF THE MIDDLE

AGES IN EUROPE
 «FRUMENTY»
The basis of the diet consisted of grains – most often it was wheat. A dish made from wheat was called
"frumenty." It was featured on banquets and simpler meals. There were peasant and elite versions of it.
The peasant version was quite simple – wheat boiled in milk or meat broth. Much tastier was the elite
frumenty, made from wheat, milk, and eggs, with added cinnamon, saffron, sugar, and orange water.
 SOUPS
Also on the medieval table were served various soups and broths. To prepare them, meat or fish was
sliced and fried with chopped onions in fat. Then it was poured over with broth mixed with ground
almond, veal, and wine. When the dish boiled, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, grains of paradise,
nutmeg, and a little saffron mixed with verjuice (sour juice made from unripe fruit) were added .
 MEDIEVAL STREET FOOD
Another popular dish at banquets was the "pastie" or "paste“. It was a type of closed pie with a
crispy, sometimes inedible crust, filled with meat, fish, or occasionally something sweet. Similar
pies, but with a cheaper filling, were made by urban bakers. The closed pie was one of the most
convenient and nutritious medieval street foods.
 BAKED PEACOCK
One of the most prestigious dishes was made from peacock, whose beautiful tail were carefully preserved and
presented almost untouched. In the recipes were described how to kill the bird, leaving the head and tail intact. Then
its feathers were wrapped with a skewer to prevent scorching over the fire. The chef advised: "It is better to eat it cold
than warm, and it can be kept for a long time. It is stored for a month, and if mold appears, just remove it and you will
find white, good, and firm meat underneath."
 MEDIEVAL DRINKS
Drinking water during meals was not recommended because a "heated stomach" was necessary for good digestion.
Therefore, it was advised to drink wine, beer, or the most popular drink, hypocras. To prepare it, ginger, calamus,
cloves, and cinnamon were added to wine. The drink had to infuse throughout the day, and only then it was strained
through a special cone called "Hippocrates' sleeve" (hence the name). For the less wealthy, there was beer, including
so-called "table beer," which had only 1–2 degrees.
 SINGING CHICKEN
"Subtleties" of medieval cooks included a singing roasted chicken "to make a dead and roasted
chicken sing on a spit or on a plate, take its neck and tie one end. Fill the neck halfway with
mercury and powdered sulfur; then tie the other end, but not too tightly. When the chicken becomes
hot and the mixture heats up well, the air will seek a way out, and this will make the chicken sing."
 HYBRIDS
In particular, the dish "cockentrice," which reflects medieval fascination with
hybrids, shocked many. To prepare it, half of a pig's body was sewn with a
chicken or turkey.
 SURPRISE SURPRISE
But perhaps the most shocking of all was the dish "Vivendier." Typically, live birds were used for its preparation,
which were plucked alive and fried until a crust formed. Then the dish was served on the table, hiding the head
under the wing. But when the guest tried to cut the bird – it came to life and made noise. For a better effect, the
bird was baked alive in a pie. And as soon as the guests approached the dish – it flew away.
THE END!