The lord and lady of a manor hoste great feasts in the castle hall. The food was plentiful and elegantly presented. Beef and mutton (sheep) were stewed with onions, garlic and herbs. Venison (deer), swans, geese and quail were roasted. Pastry, called a coffin, was filled with a mixture of meat, dates, ginger, vinegar, eggs, and herbs.
At royal meals, a peacock was cooked and reassembled with its feathers in place. Apples, figs, grapes, oranges and lemons were picked from the castle gardens. Cheese was made and butter was churned. Fish was served Wednesday, Friday and saturday. Common vegetables were dried peas and beans. Chefs created spectacular desserts of sugar paste, marzipan and jelly painted and molded into shapes like castles or ships. Milk was chiefly for cooking such things as fine almond puddings.
Feasting and enjoying food was very important in the Middle Ages. At times, food was scarce for everybody, not just for the poor. Bread was the basic food. It could be made from barley and rye as well as wheat. The wealthy used thick slices of brown bread as plates to eat on. They were called trenchers. Next to the bread, fish was the most common food. Usually fish was salted or pickled to preserve it. Birds like chickens, ducks or geese were popular. On special occasions the better off ate swan and peacock. Beef and venison (from deer) were well liked, and pigs were kept for pork.
In the castle gardens, vegetables like cabbage and leeks would be grown. Herbs were used to season food or make remedies when people fell ill. During the Middle Ages, new foods, like raisins, dates, and figs were brought to Europe by the Crusaders. Before 1100 the only way to sweaten food was with honey. Spices were very expensive because they came all the way from the Far East.
Most people used their fingers to eat food. Forks were brought in towards the end of the Middle Ages. Many people thought that using forks was silly but everyone had to behave properly at mealtimes. There were many rules on the correct way to eat and where people had to sit at the table. Since glass was too expensive, food was stored in pots or wooden barrels. The rich had bowls made of pewter or even cups of silver and gold.
There were many jobs that needed to be done during a feast. Look at the descriptions below and assign the jobs to class members. They will be in charge of assembling the materials and carrying out the job. The materials needed, are printed in bold letters.
SERFS
The serfs lived in huts provided for them on the lord's estate. In return, they were bound to serve the lord. When the time came for the royal feast, the serfs handled all the preparations and serving during the meal. They carried food from the kitchen, served trenchers and scooped stew with a ladle. They offered fruit trays to the guests, cleared the trenchers and served dessert.
EWERER
There were forks, but napkins were provided. Some food was eaten with spoons, but many people ate with their fingers. They used their little fingers to sprinkle salt from the bowls (saltcellars) to their food.
The Ewerer brought a pitcher of water, a large bowl and towel between courses so diners could wash their hands.
The Ewerer also tasted the water before pouring it over the king's hands.
JUGGLERS
The feast was not complete without entertainment for the diners while they ate. Minstrels played musical instruments and sang, jesters told amusing stories and jugglers showed their skills with juggling balls.
PANTER
The Panter had a very special assignment. He was the king's personal servant. He was in charge of seeing to the king's dining needs. The Panter carried special trays to bring food, trenchers and saltcellars to the king.
TRUMPETER AND DRUMMER
The feast did not begin until the trumpeter announced the arrival of the king with fanfare from his trumpet. After the king was seated, the trumpeter again sounded his trumpet to indicate the start of the feast.The trumpeter blew his horn and the drummer beat on his drum between each food course.
Decorations- Students can create flags and banners to decorate the walls. Arrange the desks in long rows to serve as tables. Use butcher paper as a tablecloth.
Food- I prefer making some of the recipes from the Extras site in class. It serves as a great Math lesson, and students enjoy creating their own menus.
If your school has a cafeteria, you may want to schedule your feast on a day roast chicken (a common meal in the Middle Ages) will be served. Talk with your cafeteria coordinator to see if special arrangements can be made. Also, some parents may be willing to prepare side dishes or desserts.
Entertainment- Check with your local library for records of medieval music that can be played while dining. Have students with a special talent (singing, juggling, joke-telling, playing a musical instrument) perform for the class after the meal.
Make sure to take photographs to keep as memory of your fantastic feast fresh throughout the year!
Are You Ready For A Tournament?
A tournament was a great occasion, which often went on for several days. It was usually held outside the castle and attracted lots of visitors. The main event was the joust. Two men would charge each other on horseback. Both wore armor and their horses were covered in richly embroidered cloth. The men held long blunt wooden lances and would try to knock each other down. Since the lances were very heavy this needed a lot of skill. They did not try to kill each other but usually everybody ended up badly bruised. Apart from jousting, there were also archery competitions, wrestling matches and sword fights at a tournament.
Tournaments began in France in about 1050 when several men took part in pretend battles. Since these were dangerous and men were killed, single combat took its place. The tournament was ideal for men to practice fighting and prove how skilled they were.
Scores for these tournaments was kept by heralds who assisted a marshal with judging. Both knight and horse wore their crests and colors. Colorful shields and banners representing the knights flew from the grandstands. There was a special gallery for the ladies, with a seat of honor for the "Queen of Love and Beauty." Sometimes the knights wore a "favor," a scarf or hankerchief belonging to a lady who favored the knight. The winner of a particular event would present the favor to his lady, tied on his lance. In some tournaments, winners were entitled to the loser's horse, armor, and weapons- items of considerate value in those times.
Ball Toss
Have a team stand on opposite sides of a net. Toss a beanbag or small ball back and forth. If a team fails to make the catch, a point is scored for the opposition.
Quintain
A player from an opposing team gently tosses a beanbag at a competitor. The competitor tries to block the throw with his/her shield. Score one point for a blocked throw and one point for a throw that hits a player. Allow three throws per competitive pair.
Armor Race
Have a relay race. Gather an identical number and type of clothing for each team. Form pairs within the team. At the marshal's command, one pair from each team works to dress one of them in armor (the layers of clothing). At the marshal's approval, the clothes are removed and the next pair repeats the steps. The first team to have all its pair finish is declared the winner.
Lance Accuracy
Hang a plastic ring from the end of a stick. Secure the stick to the crossbars of the swings or monkey bars.
Each player, in turn, charges at the ring, lance drawn! As the ring is approached, the player tries to put his/her lance through the ring, letting go of the lance as the pass is made. If the lance goes through the ring a point is scored.
Hint:You can make a lance out of a gift-wrapping paper tubing.