Medieval Word Wednesday - Food

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Medieval_peasant_meal.jpg#filelinks

I have come to the conclusion that I, as a vegetarian, wouldn't survive as a noblewoman in the Medieval time period.

The upper class diet consisted of mainly meat (beef, venison, mutton, pork, poultry, and other game), fish, shell fish, fruit, spices, cheese, and limited number of vegetables (those grown above ground - see http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages-food-and-diet.htm). Their main bread was white flour bread called manchet bread (recipe here).

The lower class diet is more to my personal taste. Pottage (a vegetable stew usually containing peas or lentils and other vegetables from the garden - recipe here), dairy products, non-game meats (like beef, pork and lamb), fish (limited by location), homegrown vegetables, homegrown fruit, and herbs. A barley or rye bread would round out the daily meals.

The Medieval Cookery looks like a great resource of recipes. I am looking forward to exploring their archives.

Which diet would suit your culinary tastes?

#SweetSat - Honor

Welcome back!

This morning I decided to share a bit of Duty's sequel, Honor, which is my current WIP. This section is presented from Lord Dentin's perspective.

~~~~~

“Elsa!”

My head snapped up. I instinctively turned toward the voice. One of the two young men ran across the courtyard toward a woman, Elsa. Dressed in a serviceable kirtle of brown with a scarf of tan linen emphasizing her small waist and curved hips, she looked like she was just returning from a walk in the gardens. Her look of surprise dissolved into resignation as the strange man approached her. She pulled her black woolen shawl about her shoulders as though it might protect her. The man engulfed her in a huge hug.

She didn’t welcome his embrace, but she also didn’t shove him away. Standing straight and unbending in the circle of his arms, she resisted without repelling. Despite my reservations, I changed direction and added speed. I reached her side just as the man stepped away from her, giving me the first clear view of his face.

“How are mother and father?” He held her at arm’s length.

“Mother is fine.” Elsa’s clipped tone spoke clearly of her anger. “Father, on the other hand, has not arrived. You were supposed to be with him at home.”

He groaned theatrically. “Oh, Elsa, must you always be so disapproving? I have done nothing wrong.” He wilted with obvious drama beneath her pointed glare before brightening again. “Well nothing lately.”

“Barack, you know very well that you were not to leave home until this all blows over. You and father agreed on it. That was the whole reason he didn’t come with us–”

I placed him then. Barack Reeve, dissolute heir to the barony in Malorny. I slowed my approach as I recalled what I knew of the young man.

“That is all behind us, Elsa.”

~~~~~

Do you believe Barack?

For more Sweet Samples, 

go to: http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/

If you are curious about Duty, the story of Tomas and Brielle, 

it is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in ebook and print.

Amazon ~ B&N

Medieval Word Wednesday - Sumptuary Laws

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABologna_marriage_women.jpg

Sumptuary Laws - laws intended to restrain or limit the expenditure of citizens in apparel, food, furniture, etc.; laws which regulate the prices of commodities and the wages of labor; laws which forbid or restrict the use of certain articles, as of luxurious apparel.
(Source: The Free Dictionary, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Sumptuary+laws)

Imagine someone telling you what kinds of clothing you could buy and fining you for wearing something that doesn't fit the law's restrictions. During the Medieval period, that was just what kings did. Frequently, they passed sumptuary laws so that the social status of a person could be easily discerned by their clothing. Some of the laws were for other reasons like promoting local commerce and cutting down on imports.

From The Medieval Life and Times website:

The English Sumptuary Law of 1363: The sumptuary legislation passed in 1363 included the following:

• Women were, in general, to be dressed according to the position of their fathers or husbands

• Wives and daughters of servants were not to wear veils above twelve pence in value

• Handicraftsmen's and yeomen's wives were not to wear silk veils

• The use of fur was confined to the ladies of knights with a rental above 200 marks a year

• The wife or daughter of a knight was not to wear cloth of gold or sable fur

• The wife or daughter of a knight-bachelor not to wear velvet

• The wife or daughter of an esquire or gentleman not to wear velvet, satin or ermine

• The wife or daughter of a labourer were not to wear clothes beyond a certain price or a girdle garnished with silver

• Cloth of gold and purple silk were confined to women of the royal family

• The importation of silk and lace by Lombards and other foreigners were forbidden

These Sumptuary Laws distinguished seven social categories and made members of each class easily distinguished by their clothing.

The Medieval Europe is not alone in this phenomenon. Many cultures have employed such restrictions for various purposes over the centuries (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumptuary_law).

Today in the USA, we still evaluate people by how they dress, but it is more of an judgement of their fashion choices than their status in life. Still, we can figure out some things about a person simply by being observant.

What can we learn about a person from way they dress today?

#SweetSat - Honor

Welcome back! Have you ever heard of a meet cute? According to Wikipedia "A meet-cute is a term sometimes used to describe a situation in film, television, etc. in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time in a way that is considered adorable, entertaining, or amusing."

I will leave it up to you whether this meeting was "adorable, entertaining, or amusing."

~~~~~

The vargar gate stood open and the portcullis loomed in sharp glory above the opening. We passed beneath the gatehouse without challenge though many armed men moved about with purpose and the gate master nodded us through. Riding through the shadow of the gate and into the spring sunlight, we entered a large stone-paved courtyard full of children. They scattered before us, screaming, laughing, and scrambling about.

I pulled my horse to an abrupt halt, which he protested with a snort. Or perhaps he did it in response to a red-headed urchin who dashed up and regarded my horse solemnly through eyes as deep brown as the animal’s hide.

“Your horse is tired.”

Her hair identified her as one of Rathenridge’s daughters, but beyond that, I could not place her.

“He is.” I could think of nothing else to say.

“Arietta!” A young woman barely taller than the child appeared at her side. Laying a protective hand on the girl’s shoulder, the woman glanced at me. All I caught was a flash of dark eyes before she turned to address the child, leaving me to admire the curve of her cheek and the fall of glossy brown hair over her shoulder. “Ari, you cannot walk up to strange horses like that. It isn’t safe.”

“But the horse is tired.” Arietta tried to shrug away the woman’s hand.

“I think the man knows that.” The woman’s stage whisper carried clearly in the suddenly quiet courtyard.

Suddenly I realized that I was sitting motionless on my horse while my men waited for the signal to dismount. I gave it impatiently and lowered myself to the ground as well. By the time I turned from my horse, the woman and child were gone. I glanced around only to spot them leaving the courtyard. The woman was shooing the children ahead of her through the wide main door into the keep.

~~~~~

So, is it amusing, adorable, or entertaining?

Thank you for stopping by. 

For more sweet excerpts for your Saturday, 

go to http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/.

The excerpt from above is from Honor, the sequel to Duty.

Amazon

Medieval Word Wednesday - Siege Weapons

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A074-The-Siege-of-a-Castle-q75-901x1230.jpg

In the image above, we can see an illustration of the use of the following two objects.

Definitions from The Scriptorium (http://thescriptorium.co.uk/glossary.php)
trebuchet - siege engine operated by a counterweight
belfry - a mobile wooden tower used to transfer troops onto a wall

The description provided on the source site for the image above describes the machine hurling rocks on the attackers as a catapult, but it looks more like a trebuchet to me. From what I understand (though I am no expert), catapults work on a concept similar to a bow or a spoon when hurling peas across the room (bending and then releasing). The trebuchet uses a swinging counterweight to hurl objects. From what I have read, the trebuchets could throw farther and longer than catapults, which would make them my weapon of choice when attacking a thick castle wall.

Here are two examples for you to compare:

Catapult

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catapult_1_Mercato_San_Severino.jpg

Trebuchet

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trebuchet.jpg

Which do you think is being used

in the picture at the top of the post?