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Medieval Banquets
Facts and
interesting information about Medieval Food and meals,
specifically, Medieval Banquets
Medieval Banquets
We have all heard about the extravagant feasts and banquets of the
Medieval times of the Middle Ages. Menus for the wealthy were extensive,
but only small portions were taken. Social etiquette dictated that
an extensive choice of foods should be made available. A change in
society had emerged during the era of the Middles Ages when
travel, prompted by the Crusades, led to a new and unprecedented
interest in beautiful objects and elegant manners. This change extended
to food preparation and presentation resulting in fabulous food
arrangements with exotic colors and flavorings - especially when
preparing a Middle Ages banquet which was fit for a king.
Serving Medieval Banquets
Serving these elaborate banquets and organisation:
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The different
provisions necessary for food were usually entrusted to the
squires of the kitchen, and were chosen, purchased, and paid
for by one or more of these officials, assisted by the cooks
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The dishes
prepared by the cooks were placed, by the help of the
esquires, on dressers in the kitchen until the moment of
serving and carried to the tables in the Great Hall of the
castle
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The Great Table
was set on a dais which was strictly reserved for the
persons of distinction, often covered with a table cloth
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Guests were
shown to their seats after washing their hands at the
entrance of the Great Hall
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Buffets - these
were a series of wooden planks with a number of stepped
shelves. The number of shelves indicated rank! The more
shelves the higher the rank. The 'Stepped Buffets' were
covered with rich drapes and assembled for use at Banquets
and Feasts
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The Nobles
finest plates of gold or silver were displayed on the
'Buffet' and servants served from them
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The dishes,
consisted of three, four, five, and even six courses
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The main courses
were sometimes made to imitate a sort of theatrical
representation
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Coloured jellies
of swans, of peacocks, or of pheasants adorned with their
feathers, having the beak and feet gilt, were served as a
speciality and placed on the middle of the table on a sort
of pedestal
French Medieval Banquets
The historian of French cookery, Legrand d'Aussy, describes a great
feast given in 1455 by the Count of Anjou, third son of King Louis II of
Sicily. This description illustrates the theatrical representation of
the banquet:
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On the table was
placed a centre-piece, which represented a green lawn,
surrounded with large peacocks' feathers and green branches,
to which were tied violets and other sweet-smelling flowers
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In the middle of
this lawn a fortress was placed, covered with silver
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The fortress was
hollow, and formed a sort of cage, in which several live
birds were shut up, their tufts and feet being gilt
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On its tower,
which was gilt, three banners were placed
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The first course
consisted of a civet of hare, a quarter of stag which had
been a night in salt, a stuffed chicken, and a loin of veal
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The two last
dishes were covered with a German sauce, with gilt
sugar-plums, and pomegranate seeds
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At each end,
outside the green lawn, was an enormous pie, surmounted with
smaller pies, which formed a crown
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The crust of the
large pies were silvered all round and gilt at the top
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Each pie
contained a whole roe-deer, a gosling, three capons, six
chickens, ten pigeons, one young rabbit, and, no doubt to
serve as seasoning or stuffing, a minced loin of veal, two
pounds of fat, and twenty-six hard-boiled eggs, covered with
saffron and flavoured with cloves
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For the three
following courses, there was a roe-deer, a pig, a sturgeon
cooked in parsley and vinegar, and covered with powdered
ginger
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A kid goat, two
goslings, twelve chickens, as many pigeons, six young
rabbits, two herons, a leveret, a fat capon stuffed, four
chickens covered with yolks of eggs and sprinkled with
spice, a wild boar, some wafers and stars
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A jelly, part
white and part red, representing the crests of the honored
guests
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Cream covered
with fennel seeds and preserved in sugar
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A white cream,
cheese in slices, and strawberries
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And, lastly,
plums stewed in rose-water
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Besides these
four courses, there was a fifth, entirely composed of the
prepared wines then in vogue, and of preserves. These
consisted of fruits and various sweet pastries
Medieval Banquets
The Medieval Times website provides interesting facts, history and information about Medieval times including Medieval Banquets. The Medieval Times Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts about the fascinating subject of the lives of the people who lived during the historical period of the Middle Ages. The content of this article on Medieval life and times provides free educational details, facts and information for reference and research for schools, colleges and homework for history courses and history coursework.
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