The rich could also afford sugar – candied fruit, sugared almonds and sweets have always been popular Christmas treats. It’s not true that they used spices to liven up rotten meat: cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper were imported from India or Indonesia, so if you could afford them you could afford good meat. Of course, the wealthy could continue to keep their animals alive, so they had fresh meat all winter. Courtesy of the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds We know even less about what the poor ate, although lords probably feasted their tenants at least once over Christmas.įattening in November and slaughtering in December. Even elaborate descriptions of royal feasts say little about food. This is typical of medieval manuscript art. The artist was more interested in depicting the strawberries and flowers in the margins than in putting food on the table. There’s not much detail as to what the couple ate at their winter feast. For others it was the first of January or the 6th, depending on local custom. Some households had their big feast on Christmas Day. Medieval people celebrated all 12 days of Christmas, from December 25 through to Epiphany – the day the three kings turned up with gifts for the newborn Jesus – although they did not usually feast every day. Our Christmases, hectic though they may be, are actually a doddle compared to the traditions of old. The feast day celebrated by the couple is Epiphany on January 6, picked out in red ( Epyphania). It may surprise you to learn that this particular calendar month is January. Courtesy of the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds., Author provided
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |