You gotta to be gruel to be kind, in the right measure…

Today, we describe it as the most important meal of the day – breakfast.

As the name suggests, the first meal of the morning was to ‘break fast’ – the period of hours between the evening meal and the morning. But in medieval times, unless there was a particular reason – a battle, for instance – morning nosh up after getting out of bed wasn’t really the done thing.

In fact, it’s important to understand the medieval day to appreciate how the meals fit in. Prior to widespread access to inexpensive night lighting, most people ended their day soon after dark – not surprisingly, making the most of every hour of usable daylight became a vital part of day-to-day life.

And the evening meal became the last major gathering point for a household for the day. But they didn’t just tuck themselves into bed and sleep through until morning. It became quite the custom to sleep ‘twice’ in the night.

An English doctor wrote, for example, that the ideal time for study and contemplation was between “first sleep” and “second sleep.” Chaucer tells of a character in the Canterbury Tales that goes to bed following her “firste sleep.” And, explaining the reason why working class conceived more children, a doctor from the 1500s reported that they typically had sex after their first sleep.

Stand aside before I run you through with my trusty skillet.
I said ‘trusty skillet’ not ‘rusty skill set!’

The breakfast, after the second sleep, if anything was eaten at all, was a very light meal often consisting very little but a thin soup (a sop) and some bread.

The first significant meal of the morning was about 9am or 10am and it was a significant brunch – not surprising considering that, in summer time at least the household would have been awake for between five and six hours.

Full early, ere daylight, the folk rose up; the guests who would depart called their grooms and they made them ready, and saddled the steeds, tightened up the girths, and trussed up their mails. The knights, all arrayed for riding, leapt up lightly, and took their bridles, and each rode his way as pleased him best.

The lord of the land was not the last. Ready for the chase, with many of his men, he ate a sop hastily when he had heard Mass, and then with blast of the bugle fared forth to the field. He and his nobles were to horse ere daylight glimmered upon the earth.

Forget the sugar-laden cereals and pop tarts for breakfast. A medieval breakfast, if one was a working man, would have consisted of easily prepared food. A traditional English breakfast featuring kippers harks back to a medieval past because it a protein easily preserved through smoking and therefore, more or less readily available.

“The earliest breakfast was undoubtedly just a chunk of bread and a mug of watered wine. Then we have evidence of anchovies and fillets of other fish being consumed, these like the famous British breakfast of kippered herring being always in a preserved state ready for eating at any time. The fatter fish, such as herring (and its small relative, the anchovy), salmon and trout lent themselves to particularly well preservation by smoking, and came to be appreciated in certain circles as a tasty means to hold off hunger pangs

A Scotsman sows his wild oats. Or something.

The Scottish favourite of porridge emerged out of the Middle Ages because oats suited the country’s short wet growing period better than other grains. I had porridge for breakfast this morning. Delicious with organic honey or with frozen berries or (and this is seriously yum, brown sugar and cinnamon).

Join me here on Sunday for a medieval treat – Sambocade Cheesecake – I’ll be sharing the recipe right here!

In the meantime, enjoy this traditional Scottish Oatcake Recipe. This oatcake recipe was the basis of our Aussie favourite ANZAC Biscuits: