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Again, another medieval myth is that medieval food was stodgy gruel, roasted meat and plain vegetables.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Spice was extensively used in the middle ages and became even more popular across Europe as Crusaders brought back new and extensive spices from the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Your medieval spice cupboard:
- Pepper – The most sought after spice. Black pepper was the most expensive. Imported from Asia and later Africa.
- Cinnamon – A Spice made from bark of the Cinnamomum zeylanicum
- Cloves – Cloves were indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia
- Nutmeg – Spice made from seeds also indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia
- Ginger – Ginger was a spice also known as ‘Grains of Paradise’, also called Atare Pepper, was used as a substitute for the more expensive black pepper during the 1300 and 1400’s
- Saffron – The dried aromatic stigmas of this plant, was used to color foods and as a cooking spice and dyes
- Cardamon (aka Cardamom ) was a spice made from the whole or ground dried fruit a plant of the ginger family, indigenous to India and Sri Lanka
- Coriander – A Spice made from seeds and leaves and a relative of the parsley family
- Cumin – Spice made from the dried fruit of a plant in the parsley family
- Garlic – A spice imported by the Romans
- Turmeric – Spice made from a root, related to ginger and has a vivid yellow-orange color
- Mace – A spice made from the dried fleshy covering of the nutmeg seed
- Anise – A liquorice flavored plant whose seeds and leaves are used to spice a variety of dishes
- Caraway – Caraway or Persian cumin are the small, crescent-shaped dried seeds from a herb
- Mustard – A spice with a pungent flavor, either used as seeds or ground
Myriad of spices available to medieval cooks
And while the cost of many spices was expensive – this web site has done a breakdown on how much spice might cost a tradesman, a carpenter in the 15th century (it also has some great recipes too) – they were readily purchased by people in all stratas of society, not just the very wealthy.
It is often assumed that prohibitive prices for spices during the Middles Ages kept them to the fortunate few of the times. But in fact, the study (mainly between 1345 and 1347) of the books of Bartholomew Bonis, a rich 14th century merchant of Montauban, who dealt in spices among other things, shows that the consumption of spices was more important than we might expect…
…Buyers of spices, apart from the poorest, came from all social categories: Notables, lords, bourgeois, but also craftsmen: butchers, cobblers, tailors, bakers, carpenters, blacksmiths and even herdsmen and ploughmen.
Try this very surprising medieval Gingerbread Recipe.
Exclusive Excerpt – Warrior’s Surrender out November 7
Villagers from around the district left their winter preparations of curing meats and making preserves to take part in the revels in a field just outside of Tyrswick village.
Two large tents had been erected on the field and surrounding them were dozens of covered stalls selling goods from all parts of the globe. Merchants hawked the finest silks and spices from the Far East, ribbons and satins from France, intricately woven lace from Flanders as well as local produce, of which there was plenty.
Sebastian insisted on accompanying Frey for a walk amongst the stalls and she accepted his arm. They walked in the company of Baron Rhys and Lady Rosalind, along with Heloise and a couple of men-at-arms, to accept the good wishes of villagers.
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