DINING WITH THE KNIGHTS AT COURT ~ A Feast in the Age of Chivalry

Tales of gallant warriors fighting righteous battles have permeated history from time immemorial as warfare has remained a constant part of the human story. During the Middle Ages in Western Europe, from the 9th through 15th century, there came a time known as the Age of Chivalry wherein these stories took on a particularly poetic nature.

While the Byzantine Empire provided a certain stability for many of the territories under its protection, Western Europe had evolved into a feudal society with its patchwork of independent fiefdoms and kingdoms. These communities loosely shared their Christian faith yet often challenged one another for power. Images abound of medieval monasteries, castles and walled-in cities protected by noble warriors on horseback, with dignitaries moving around on diplomatic missions, wined and dined while keeping tabs on, and often borrowing from, the artistic and intellectual accomplishments of other courts.

Chivalry was initially a reference to armed horsemen of noble descent (chevaliers during the reign of Charlemagne) who, like their Roman predecessors, carried on aristocratic family traditions of horse soldiery in defense of their homeland. But with time the concept of chivalry evolved to encompass a code of ethics including military ethos, Christian virtue and courtly manners meant to ennoble its dedicated followers and fuel their strength, resolve and valor. From this was born the concept of knighthood, whereby valiant warriors of extended classes could see their bravery and loyalty rewarded with land and titles and become acknowledged as among the most celebrated members of court. 

A period of romanticizing the ennobled knight ensued as more and more people strove to emulate this high standard of conduct as a means to proving or indeed gaining status.  Crusaders’ harrowing accounts, along with ancient tales of Greek and Roman heroic exploits (Alexander, Odysseus, Aeneas) yielded a literary genre known as the romance in 12th century France in which timeless values of bravery, honor, discipline and selflessness were extolled. It didn’t take long for these tales to spread to other European courts where new stories, legends and knighthoods were born.

Traveling minstrels and troubadours brought these tales into the isolated castles, welcomed in as a form of entertainment, as did illuminated manuscripts that told the stories in word and image to be shared with eager audiences. These handmade, one-of-a-kind books served to promote the tenets of chivalry to an international aristocratic audience as they were proudly shown and even carried from court to court. Often richly illustrated, these books articulated not only the history of heroism past but newly imagined, fictional accounts applying long-admired values to contemporary characters in a relatable court setting. It is enlightening to view the images in these manuscripts as snapshots of another time and place where real people like us, yet in centuries past, lived, loved, fought, dreamed, dressed, and dined. 

From these eloquent voices we gain a perspective on courtly life in the Middle Ages that naturally includes its culinary culture. Much is known about the diet of the patrons and readers of these books thanks to literary references to food, physician’s treatises, and a number of recipe collections recorded for instruction and posterity. Many of the culinary notebooks written down in different languages repeat variations of the same dishes that clearly were known from court to court. All reflect the basic European diet of grains or legumes baked (bread) or boiled (porridge) supplemented by everything else in varying degrees of availability; meat and dairy, fish and poultry, fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices. These writings also tell how the western European diet had been expanded by travelers’ exposure to eastern culture via Constantinople, bringing new foods and exotic spices into the courts of returning knights, pilgrims and diplomats. 

On now to the fun challenge of replicating a medieval feast worthy of a gallant knight at court.  Taking inspiration from the dining images in these manuscripts, a simple white tablecloth and table setting will do. Authentic recipes from the many original collections circulating at that time act as culinary inspiration for the following menu and represent the international nature of courtly influence. The proposed 4-course menu begins with a starter course of spiced wine and soup to open up the appetite, moves through the second and third courses with pasta, meat and fish offerings accompanied by side dishes, pauses with edible entremets and finishes with those tasty bites said to help close the stomach and commence digestion. To combine such a meal with period musical, theatrical or literary entertainment, and lively, spirited conversation, is to experience a full, multi-sensory immersion in the arts of the Age of Chivalry.