New research reveals what was on the menu for peasants

Phys.org ^ | 05/16/2109 | University of Bristol

[BenLurkin]

Using chemical analysis of pottery fragments and animal bones found at one of England's earliest medieval villages, combined with detailed examination of a range of historical documents and accounts, the research has revealed the daily diet of peasants in the Middle Ages. The researchers were also able to look at butchery techniques, methods of food preparation and rubbish disposal at the settlement Dr. Julie Dunne and Professor Richard Evershed from the University of Bristol's Organic Geochemistry Unit, based within the School of Chemistry, led the research, published today in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

"Much is known of the medieval dietary practices of the nobility and ecclesiastical institutions, but less about what foods the medieval peasantry consumed."

The scarce historical documents that exist that tell us that medieval peasant ate meat, fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables but there is little direct evidence for this.

The OGU team used the technique of organic residue analysis to chemically extract food residues from the remains of cooking pots used by peasants in the small medieval village of West Cotton in Northamptonshire.

[SunkenCiv]

The Tudors came along in England at just the right time to usher in an age of expansion not seen since Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire. More broadly, beginning in the 14th c, the Black Plague had destroyed the feudal relationships throughout Europe, and impoverished the nobiility, leading to stronger central authority.