Dining with our medieval ancestors - 4/4

It’s time for your taste buds!

Discover what our medieval ancestors ate, drank… and how they laid their table. What an art!
In the 12th and 13th centuries, people ate according to their quality: “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are”… So, just like clothing, the medieval meal was also a social marker.

For the working man, it’s mainly vegetarian, but the vegetables aren’t really those of today, and on his humble table, the king of foods is bread.

Aristocratic food, on the other hand, was rich in taste and color, higher in protein and spicier, and the conviviality of the meal was often characterized by a highly codified ritual: expressions still used today such as “Dresser la table”, “Mettre le couvert” and “Faire bonne chère” bear witness to this.

In the cathedral, the images of aristocratic meals engraved in glass and stone are not only “Windows to the Middle Ages”, they also often have a religious connotation… Among them, that of the Eucharistic meal, with bread and wine omnipresent.

Table manners and the unfolding of a seigneurial feast…

The table is set for prestigious guests… Belle Verrière stained glass window: the wedding feast of Cana © NDC – fonds Gaud

Saint Remi stained glass window © NDC – fonds Gaud

A well-coded ritual.
The fork doesn’t yet exist; the dog retrieves the trenchers, the bones… – Stained glass window of Saint Thomas © NDC – fonds Gaud

Stained glass window of Saint Eustace © NDC – fonds Gaud

The Meal at Simon’s House – Stained Glass of Saint Mary Magdalene © NDC – fonds Gaud

Stained Glass of Saint Martin © NDC – fonds Gaud

Stained Glass of Saint Sylvester © NDC – fonds Gaud

**A multi-course feast at a lord’s house:**
Appetizer: fruits;
Soups: with fish, meats *(simmered with broth, wine, sauces)*;
Roasts or rôts: *(poultry or game)*;
Entremets:
Dessert: custards, compotes, creams, cheese, dried fruits;
Issue: waffles, wafers…;
Boute-hors (*Table extras*): spices for the table, dragees…

The servants get busy… Stained glass window of Joseph *(on the left)*; stained glass window of Saint Julian *(on the right)* © NDC – fonds Gaud

A ballet of servants! Stained glass of the Prodigal Son © NDC – fonds Gaud

Entremets are moments of distraction… Stained glass window of Saint Julian © NDC – fonds Gaud

Royal portal, in the voussoirs of the Ascension Bay *(mid-12th century)* © NDC

Prodigal Son stained glass window © NDC – fonds Gaud

Meanwhile, in the kitchens… Prodigal Son stained glass window © NDC – fonds Gaud

Left, stained glass window of the Apostles; right, stained glass window of Saint Nicholas *(nave)* © NDC – fonds Gaud

The fireplace: hood, pot rack, bellows… Stained glass of Saint Eustace *(on the left)*; stained glass of Saint Anthony *(on the right)* © NDC – fonds Gaud

The fireplace: hood, pot rack, bellows… Stained glass of Saint Thomas *(on the left)*; stained glass of the Zodiac Signs *(on the right)* © NDC – fonds Gaud

*“Blessed are those invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!”* The Meal at Emmaus, Royal Portal *(12th century)* © NDC – fonds Gaud

“Wisdom has set a table,
She invites people to the feast,
Come to the banquet of the Son of Man,
Eat and drink the Passover of God”
From the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 9
The altar by Goudji, created in 1992: *“The Rock of Light.”*

Article taken from the lecture “Dining with our medieval ancestors” by Véronique des Boscs,
from the Cathedral’s Visitor Service,
as part of the 2023 Autumn Cycle