On this page
The diet of medieval peasants in the High Middle Ages was more varied and more nutritious than is often assumed. Far from the stereotype of the medieval peasant subsisting on a single bowl of gruel per day, the actual diet of the medieval peasant was a complex combination of bread, porridge, legumes, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, fish, and occasional meat, with ale or cider as the common beverage. The diet varied by region, by season, and by social class, but it was generally sufficient to support the demographic expansion of the High Middle Ages.
The archaeology of peasant diet is much richer than the popular image of gruel-and-cabbage suggests. The English and French skeletal evidence, the ostie (food-rent) lists in the manorial court rolls, and the surviving kitchen accounts of the monasteries give a fairly complete picture; what they show is bread, pottage, peas and beans, salted pork, herring, cheese, ale, and a small but real amount of meat for most of the rural population, with more meat and game for the peasantry in the south than in the north.
The Staples of the Peasant Diet
The staples of the peasant diet were bread and porridge, supplemented by legumes, vegetables, dairy products, and eggs. The bread of the medieval peasant was typically made from rye, barley, or oats, rather than from wheat (which was the preferred grain of the wealthy). The bread was typically coarse and dark, and it was often mixed with other grains or with vegetables to extend the supply. The porridge of the medieval peasant was typically made from oats or barley, and it was often served with butter, cheese, or vegetables.
The legumes — peas, beans, lentils — were an important source of protein for the medieval peasant, and they were a major component of the peasant diet. The legumes were typically served as a porridge or stew, and they were often mixed with grains or vegetables to make a complete meal. The vegetables of the medieval peasant — onions, garlic, leeks, cabbage, turnips, parsnips, carrots — were typically grown in the kitchen garden, and they were an important source of vitamins and minerals. The dairy products — milk, butter, cheese, curds, whey — were an important source of protein and fat, and they were produced on most peasant holdings.
The eggs of the medieval peasant were typically from chickens, geese, and ducks, and they were an important source of protein and fat. The eggs were typically eaten fresh in the spring and summer, and they were preserved in fat or pickled for use in the winter. The fish of the medieval peasant was typically from freshwater sources — rivers, streams, ponds — and from the sea in coastal regions. Fish was an important source of protein, especially on the fast days of Friday, Saturday, and Lent, when the consumption of meat was forbidden.
The Beverages of the Peasant Diet
The beverages of the medieval peasant were dominated by ale and cider. Water was often polluted and unsafe, and the consumption of ale and cider was the normal way of taking in liquid. The ale of the medieval peasant was typically made from barley, oats, or wheat, and it was flavored with herbs, spices, and hops (in the later medieval period). The ale was typically weak by modern standards, and it was consumed in large quantities throughout the day. The cider of the medieval peasant was typically made from apples, and it was the common drink of the western and southern European peasant.
The wine of the medieval peasant was typically consumed in the Mediterranean regions, where grapes were grown. The wine of the medieval peasant was typically weak by modern standards, and it was often mixed with water to extend the supply. The mead of the medieval peasant — a fermented drink made from honey and water — was a common drink in the northern and central European regions, especially in the early medieval period.
The Feast Days of the Peasant Diet
The feast days of the Church calendar were the major occasions for special food and drink. The Christmas feast featured roasted meats, pies, the Yule log, and special breads. The Easter feast featured lamb, eggs, and special breads (the hot cross buns are a later development). The harvest feast featured the products of the new harvest — the new grain, the new wine, the new ale, the new bread. The saints’ days of the local calendar also provided occasions for special food, and the peasant household would slaughter a pig in the autumn and salt the meat for the winter.
The meat of the medieval peasant was typically pork, bacon, sausages, and ham, with beef, mutton, and goat being less common. The meat was typically eaten on the feast days of the Church calendar, with fish being the typical substitute on the fast days. The aristocratic household would have more meat and more variety of meat, but the peasant household was not vegetarian by any means.
The Nutritional Quality of the Peasant Diet
The nutritional quality of the medieval peasant diet was generally adequate to support a growing population, and the diet improved significantly over the course of the High Middle Ages. The bread and porridge provided carbohydrates and fiber. The legumes provided protein and fiber. The dairy products and eggs provided protein, fat, and vitamins. The vegetables provided vitamins and minerals. The fish provided protein and essential fatty acids. The ale and cider provided calories and liquid.
The medieval peasant diet was monotonous by modern standards, and it was vulnerable to famine in years of crop failure. The Great Famine of 1315–1317, caused by a series of exceptionally wet and cold summers, was a major catastrophe that affected the entire population of Europe. The Black Death of 1347, which killed perhaps a third of Europe’s population, was another major catastrophe that affected the diet and the health of the medieval population.
The diet of the medieval peasant varied by region and by social class. The peasant in northern Europe ate more bread, porridge, dairy products, and fish; the peasant in southern Europe ate more bread, olive oil, wine, and vegetables. The peasant in coastal regions ate more fish; the peasant in inland regions ate more meat and dairy products. The wealthy peasant ate more meat, white bread, and wine; the poor peasant ate more rye bread, porridge, and vegetables.
Sources
Principal sources used in this article:
- Jean Verdon, Le Plaisir au Moyen Âge (Hachette, 1996), for the lived-world synthesis.
Further reading:
- Marc Bloch, Feudal Society, vol. 1, pt. 2 (1961).
For a recent single-volume synthesis with full scholarly apparatus, see the relevant chapter of Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages (University of Toronto Press, 2014).