Meats/spices in MA (was Re: SC - I am So Ashamed! (long))

[Nicholas Sasso]

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>>> Jenne Heisejenne at mail.browser.net> 10/26/00 3:38:03 PM >>
This one I need documentation for, because peasants could and did have
small amounts of negotiable cash in some places (ok, the one I now about
for sure is Silesia). It would be sinfully extravagant, perhaps, but the
purchase of small quantities of spices such as pepper wouldn't
necessarily be out of the range of possibility for someone who might be =
a=20
'dirt-grubbing' farmer who sold his crop to pay his cash rent and had a
bit left over.  Furthermore, some things that were used for 'spices' =
(juniper berries, for
instance, and mustard), were locally produced. =20

> As to who ate what meats: Beef was considered coarse food suitable =
for=20
> laborers, while chicken was more digestible and suitable for their =
masters.=20
> Pork was generally popular from what I understand. Peasants could fish =
and=20
> trap fowl (and rabbits?) and so could have those meats at any time. =
Hunting=20
> larger game would be illegal, but not unheard of.

Ok, this is the party line on SCA-Cooks, but I wish someone would write up
all the documentary evidence they have, with footnotes to research
articles and menus. My impression is that, Platina's strictures to the
side, chicken was not the number-one most popular meat, and that both
mutton (y'all remember mutton, yes?) and beef were served with regularity.
Le Menagier de Paris's menus confirm that suspicion. . . . SNIP . . . . . =
>>>>>

I am curious as to when and where beef was served with regularity and to =
whom.
The medieval Health Handbook references beef as a difficult to digest meat =
that should
be avoided by nobility, at least.  Scully references in Cooking in the =
Middle Ages that beef was far less common than other meats, likely because =
of the quality of the meat.  Eating beasts of labor isn't terribly =
pleasant . . . gotta use 'em to work the land, for milk, etc.  They hadn't =
bred them for meat quality as we have now.

If we are talking about what meats were most popularly served, we have to =
delineate the who,=20
when and where.  What was eaten regularly by the Duke of Naples in 1485 CE =
is going to be different from what was common fare for a serf-farmer in =
Northumbia in 800 CE.  Glumping them all together will cause fairly =
useless information and inability to determine much of anything useful.  =
Somebody, somewhere, sometime likely ate nigh on everything available that =
didn't eat them first.

As for black pepper, my sensibilities (they could be limited) lead to me =
to believe that it was not a spice available to what we would call dirt =
poor peasant in much of the era we discuss.  Kingdoms went to war, de Gama =
rounded Africa, Columbus went West with a country's fortune all in the =
name of the pepper trade.  Lower income groups of people, according to =
Scully in Cooking in the Middle Ages, seem to have been more likely to use =
mustard seed, grains of paradise and/or cubeb pepper.  A traveler's diary =
is quoted to have been distressed at the number of 'common' places he ate =
at in England (14th century I think it was) that used mustard as flavoring.=
  Mustard was indigenous to some parts of Europe, and could grow wildly =
with little effort.  Black pepper could have been more regular fare for a =
growing merchant and working free class in western Europe post 1200, but I =
haven't read of that. =20

Mediterranean Trade in Medieval Europe (I sure hope I didn't butcher that =
title) discusses the cargo manifests coming into European ports from =
roughly 1200-1600, IRRC, and the tariffs/port taxes levied.  These are =
based on manuscript and documents from these ships and ports.  One could =
infer from taxes compared to cargos what was relatively more valuable.  =
Spices were insanely taxed.  There are often mention of 'tax spies' being =
used to pay the taxes and pay tributes.  Cinnamon and Black Pepper were =
the most common tax spices.  I suspect a spice of that regard could be =
seen as less accessible to land-working/dirt-poor class with little =
wealth.  That is inference as I have no reference stating what spices were =
purchased other than by nobility, cooks, guilds and merchants, all persons =
of significant means.


niccolo difrancesco

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<DIV>>>> Jenne Heise<A 
href="mailto:Heisejenne at mail.browser.net> 10/26/00 3:38:03 PM >>">jenne at mail.browser.net> 
10/26/00 3:38:03 PM >></A><BR>This one I need documentation for, because 
peasants could and did have<BR>small amounts of negotiable cash in some places 
(ok, the one I now about<BR>for sure is Silesia). It would be sinfully 
extravagant, perhaps, but the<BR>purchase of small quantities of spices such as 
pepper wouldn't<BR>necessarily be out of the range of possibility for someone 
who might be a <BR>'dirt-grubbing' farmer who sold his crop to pay his cash rent 
and had a<BR>bit left over.  Furthermore, some things that were used for 
'spices' (juniper berries, for<BR>instance, and mustard), were locally 
produced.  <BR><BR>> As to who ate what meats: Beef was considered 
coarse food suitable for <BR>> laborers, while chicken was more digestible 
and suitable for their masters. <BR>> Pork was generally popular from what I 
understand. Peasants could fish and <BR>> trap fowl (and rabbits?) and so 
could have those meats at any time. Hunting <BR>> larger game would be 
illegal, but not unheard of.<BR><BR>Ok, this is the party line on SCA-Cooks, but 
I wish someone would write up<BR>all the documentary evidence they have, with 
footnotes to research<BR>articles and menus. My impression is that, Platina's 
strictures to the<BR>side, chicken was not the number-one most popular meat, and 
that both<BR>mutton (y'all remember mutton, yes?) and beef were served with 
regularity.<BR>Le Menagier de Paris's menus confirm that suspicion. . . . SNIP . 
. . . . >>>>><BR><BR>I am curious as to when and where beef was 
served with regularity and to whom.</DIV>
<DIV>The medieval Health Handbook references beef as a difficult to digest meat 
that should</DIV>
<DIV>be avoided by nobility, at least.  Scully references in Cooking in the 
Middle Ages that beef was far less common than other meats, likely because of 
the quality of the meat.  Eating beasts of labor isn't terribly pleasant . 
. . gotta use 'em to work the land, for milk, etc.  They hadn't bred them 
for meat quality as we have now.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If we are talking about what meats were most popularly served, we have to 
delineate the who, </DIV>
<DIV>when and where.  What was eaten regularly by the Duke of Naples in 
1485 CE is going to be different from what was common fare for a serf-farmer in 
Northumbia in 800 CE.  Glumping them all together will cause fairly useless 
information and inability to determine much of anything useful.  Somebody, 
somewhere, sometime likely ate nigh on everything available that didn't eat them 
first.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As for black pepper, my sensibilities (they could be limited) lead to me to 
believe that it was not a spice available to what we would call dirt poor 
peasant in much of the era we discuss.  Kingdoms went to war, de Gama 
rounded Africa, Columbus went West with a country's fortune all in the name of 
the pepper trade.  Lower income groups of people, according to Scully in 
Cooking in the Middle Ages, seem to have been more likely to use mustard seed, 
grains of paradise and/or cubeb pepper.  A traveler's diary is quoted to 
have been distressed at the number of 'common' places he ate at in England (14th 
century I think it was) that used mustard as flavoring.  Mustard was 
indigenous to some parts of Europe, and could grow wildly with little 
effort.  Black pepper could have been more regular fare for a growing 
merchant and working free class in western Europe post 1200, but I haven't read 
of that.  </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mediterranean Trade in Medieval Europe (I sure hope I didn't butcher 
that title) discusses the cargo manifests coming into European ports from 
roughly 1200-1600, IRRC, and the tariffs/port taxes levied.  These are 
based on manuscript and documents from these ships and ports.  One could 
infer from taxes compared to cargos what was relatively more valuable.  
Spices were insanely taxed.  There are often mention of 'tax spies' being 
used to pay the taxes and pay tributes.  Cinnamon and Black Pepper were the 
most common tax spices.  I suspect a spice of that regard could be seen as 
less accessible to land-working/dirt-poor class with little wealth.  That 
is inference as I have no reference stating what spices were purchased other 
than by nobility, cooks, guilds and merchants, all persons of significant 
means.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>niccolo difrancesco<BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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