[Sca-cooks] Bread consumption

[Terry Decker]

> >The idea that there wasn't much bread served at a meal is a statement by
>>someone who is either interested in seige dining or hasn't done their 
>>homework.
>>
>>Bear
>
> I'm not saying bread wasn't eaten. I was just wondering if
> it were used as an appetizer. I have also seen many instances
> of a small loaf of bread being the entire meal with a mug of
> ale or somesuch.
>
> Gunthar

Don't think of bread as an appetizer, think of it as the main course.  The 
illustrations suggest that it was on the table from the beginning to the end 
of the feast with the smaller plates of delicacies being presented to the 
table over time.

A manchet and a mug of ale are breakfast fare and are sometimes served with 
a small dish or fish or other meat.  When you are talking 2 1/2 pounds and a 
gallon of brew per day, a manchet and mug are just a hair over 10 percent of 
the daily fare.  When and where did they get the other 90 percent?

Bear