Food, Values and Identity in the Middle Ages Essay

Food is one of the basic essentials for humans to live. The food we eat gives us the sustenance for our daily duties. Even during the ancient times, humans had a wide variety of foodstuffs to choose from with meat and plant food as the two general categories (Adamson, 2004). However, even if there are same food resources all around the world, what people eat vary from one culture to another, thus there were variations on how they cook different foods and how they eat. As time progressed, simple meals became elaborate with the continuous addition of different ingredients to make it more palatable to the taste of many. Diets of people evolve, depending on their needs, status, time periods and of course, the availability of the food itself. Through food, some people are able to show their values or principles that they believe in. For example, Muslims do not eat pork because the pig is considered as a dirty animal in their religion. The food people consume is sometimes used to characterize them (Scholliers, 2001), not only as individuals but as part of a group. All over the world, food portrayed a great role in shaping humans, their values, identity and the society and period they live in. One notable period in history is the Middle Ages. It was the time when there were many political, social, economic and social changes and the period which also led to the transformation of many European states (MSN Encarta, 1993-2008). What role did food play in the medieval ages? What was its relationship between values and identity in the period of the Middle Ages? It is interesting to note how food contributed to the culture of the people during these times of immense changes in the society and way of living of people. Eating in the Middle Ages was distinguished for the different social classes of people that lived during that time. For peasants and those who lived in poverty, their diet consisted mainly of vegetables and cereals. It was said by Mennell (1985) that descriptions of how the poor ate can be seen from the some of Chaucer’s and Langland’s writing. Serfs were provided by their lords’ limited variety and amount of foodstuffs, mainly consisting of bread, a morsel of cheese, ale or cider and dish of either fish or meat. This fish and meat were usually eaten during special occasions but it was still a known fact that meat was a luxury to the poor (Ferreires, 2006). It was also said that the poor was also associated to eating dairy products (Mennell, 1985) while the rich people had a disregard for them. Meat was always associated with the rich and it was them who always had a plentiful supply. Selling of meat was complicated during the time of the Middle Ages. There were many rules regarding butchering and the sale of meat in Europe (Ferreires, 2006). These rules were created for health reasons and so as to create a good quality of products for the buyers. These rules were also specific; one of them is that any flesh or meat dying of other means aside from butchering must be burned. Slaughtering of an animal also had strict standards and the market was strictly supervised as well by the lords of the city. In this aspect, meat was not only used as part of a recipe or dish but also for political purposes because charters created for the sale of meat were watched over closely by the lords of the city (Ferreires, 2006). There were different kinds of butcher shops found around the city, the town butcher shop and the common butcher shop. These two kinds of shops were different because they sell different qualities of meats (Ferreires, 2006). These meats were mostly for the consumption of the rich because the town butcher shops sold high quality meats while the common butcher shop sold, though not low quality, meat sold there was considered as second rate Ferreires, 2006). Poor people had another option where they can buy meat and this was a free market where decaying meat could be bought. Although there were strict rules for selling of meat, selling rotting meat was not prohibited as long as they sell it outside the town so people can make a distinction on where they can buy fresh meat and where to but the decaying ones. Ferreires (2006, p. 48) noted that for those who live in the country though, it was not a problem for them to find food since they also produce their own and sometimes tended animals. On the other hand, those who lived in the city, though could also produce their own food, remained as consumers since most of the markets could be found in the city. Even if there was a social distribution of food among the people during the Middle Ages, how food was cooked was very simple for both rich and the poor. Slow boiling (Mennell, 1985) was the major method in which food was cooked during the Middle Ages primarily because the meals prepared during this time were dominated by soup. In most cases, the soup prepared for the meal contained meat, together with onions, cabbages and beans. For the poor, sometimes food was simply cooked in boiling water or milk. Little is known about the recipes that people cooked during the Middle Ages. However, cooking manuscripts were also created during these times (Mennell, 1985). Much of these manuscripts are similar to what we would call as recipe books or cookbooks. But these cooking manuscripts were generally created for the upper class because you will find recipes in these manuscripts as the ones prepared by cooks at the dinner tables of the rich and nobility. Most of the recipes in medieval cuisine particularly focused on the ingredients and the combination of flavors that is put into a dish. Unfortunately, the first recorded recipes were vague, written with lack of precision on how it was cooked, how much of an ingredient was needed and what utensils were used. Earliest recipes in the Middle Ages were seen simply as a list of ingredients. Most writers of the culinary manuscripts were anonymous and it was difficult to trace more information about the recipes. But with the emergence of the master-chefs, cooks who wrote recipes from personal experience, specifying details of the dish to be cooked, written recipes evolved. This evolution of recipes may have also been attributed to the evolving culinary techniques, practices and strategies of the cooks that time. Other factors, such as introduction of a new ingredient, new found use of a utensil contributed to the evolution or improvement of medieval recipes (Adamson, 1995). Food preparation became more elaborate. Together with the evolution of the recipes, more and more cooks and chefs came out from their anonymity and were recognized. They were then appropriately recognized for their collection of recipes. We can say that food was able to give identity to the chefs such as those who provided the people with new recipes in medieval cooking manuscripts. According to Mennell (1985, p. 49), there were four best known cookery manuscripts from late medieval Northern Italy which had many points in common with each other and probably has one source. Food would then be used to signify wealth and rank in the medieval cuisine. Food prepared for the rich may not necessarily taste delectable but they should certainly look appetizing. There were also certain foodstuffs that gave the rich their identity to the rich because they are the only ones who can easily access it, such as meat which was mentioned earlier. The saying â€Å"You are what you eat,† can be taken literally because whatever food that goes into our body contributes to how our bodies are made of. Whatever food an individual eats gives them the physical identity. Identity is the set of characteristics by which an individual possesses, as he or she is recognizable as a member of a certain group. All human beings have identities, so we will have something to identify with, to give us a sense of belongingness. Without people realizing it, the food we eat was a huge factor in determining our identity. For example, we usually identify countries with the foods that can commonly be found in them (not necessarily crops). We also sometimes identify certain groups of people to the food they eat. In the Middle Ages, we already mentioned that the evolution of the recipe writing was able to give identity to the chefs of that time. They became more respected because they did not just conform to old traditional recipes but they created their own styles in making dishes. The social classes during the Middle Ages were also given identities by the food they eat. The rich and nobility for example was usually identified with meat and many other variety of food that was accessible to them. While for the commoner, it was vegetables and dairy that was clearly identified with them (Mennell 1985). More food was of course accessible to the rich because they had more money to buy a wider variety of foodstuffs than the commoner. Their diet consisted mainly of fresh bread, cheese, meat and wine. Relationship between identity and food in the Middle Ages could also be seen in the prescribed diets of the time. Foods that were coarse, heavy and inexpensive were prescribed to eat by those workers who had heavy physical work. They were supposed to become more accustomed to these kinds of foods because these foods would be able to sustain the energy they consume up in their work. Other foods which may not be acceptable and considered unpleasant to eat such as nerves, tendons, and innards were included in the list of prescribed foods for the laborer. These laborers then would be given the identity that they have tough stomachs because of the many repulsive foods that they can eat (Ferreires, 2006). On the other hand, the rich or those with inactive lifestyles such as the scholar were prescribed to eat lighter foods such as white bread, white wine and the white meat of the chicken because this foods suits best the brain activity (Ferreires, 2006). They were advised as well to lessen their physical activity, anything that may become hindrance to their brain activity. In turn, they would be more identified with gentler stomachs, one that cannot or should not digest or intake foods eaten by the laborers because they do not consume too much energy as workers do. Although food has a great role in the identity formation during the Middle Ages, it should not be deduced that food is a major factor in identity formation because there are still many factors such as in social, economic and political aspects that should be considered when looking at people’s identities. Another role that food may have a relationship with is values in the Middle Ages. The relationship between food and values goes a long way back to ancient history. Values were held by individuals as something that they believe in firmly. The relationship between food and values in the Middle Ages may be closely linked to religion. Early accounts of prescribed diets can be found in the Bible. Animal flesh was primarily used as sacrificial offering to God Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat meat and according to Adamson (2004), it was only after Noah and those who followed after him were the ones allowed to eat meat. It was under Moses that the dietary rules were changed and there were certain animals that cannot be eaten because they were unclean and consuming blood was also prohibited. People followed these rules strictly as it is written in the Bible. The holy meal of the body and blood of Christ were represented by the wine and bread which people must take to receive the Holy Spirit. Since the holy meal was represented at the body and blood of Christ, according to the religious teachings of the Middle Ages, people were eating the God who suffered and died on the cross. Therefore the act of eating the holy meal was like an act of suffering with God as well (Adamson, 2004). Another value important to people in the Middle Ages was the voluntary act of withholding food or fasting. It was also an act of suffering, because you are denying a basic need of your body. By withholding food, you are somehow telling the gods that you are willing to do anything for them to grant whatever wishes or prayers you have. Taking part in communal fasting also gives the feeling of belongingness of a person. People were striving for purity during this time and fasting was one ay of cleansing the body. Connections were made between gluttony (eating too much) and lechery (excessive indulgence in sexual activities) so many people took part in fasting to purify themselves. However, fasting was not an act of eating nothing at all but eating simple foods such as bread, salt and water only. Fasting was primarily done not to starve people who take part in it but to control themselves in indulging in too much food, thus controlling the desires of their body and to prepare themselves for receiving the divine truth (Adamson, 2004). Fasting was not only taken seriously by holy people such as monks but a number of girls who loved in the Middle Ages which became the cause of their deaths. This was termed â€Å"holy anorexia† according to Adamson (2004, p. 195) because these girls starved themselves to death and sometimes imposed immense pain to their bodies. Most of these girls were not really poor but wanted to be in control of their lives, seeing to it that at that time, the only options for females were either to marry or enter the convent. By denying themselves food, they were somehow able to gain control of their lives and not simply being a slave to the tradition. Lastly, the link of food and values to religion are laws about clean and unclean foods and food preparation during religious rituals and festivals. According to Adamson (2004, p. 199) both Jews and Christians in medieval Europe observed the same Jewish festivals where food played an important role. There were certain foods that cannot be eaten during these festivals such as bitter and black foods. One of the rules Jews have is that animals should be slaughtered in such a way that all the blood must be drained out because it is prohibited for them to consume blood. Food in the Middle Ages was used to associate certain groups of people and individuals because the foods they ate were â€Å"identified† with them, such as the rich and meat and vegetables for the poor. These foods were the most accessible and available to them thus giving them the identity like, if you usually eat meat, you are considered as a rich person. However, it might be dangerous to conclude that food determines the identity of an individual or a group because there are still a lot of factors to be considered when determining one’s identity. The relationship between food and values is closely linked to religion because there were particular foods that were considered as â€Å"clean and unclean† by different religions. Values of the people are affected by the food they ate because they wanted to follow the set of laws in their religion. They show their beliefs through avoiding the foods considered unclean and eating only the clean. They also show these by following certain rules that some foods cannot be eaten on certain days. Lastly, food was also used as a powerful tool to show one’s value as some of the women in the Middle Ages were able to use food to gain control in their lives. Food truly portrayed a great role in the Middle Ages and how it came to shape the values and identity of how people lived during those times. Food was also able to contribute to the rich culture that medieval Europe had. Its contribution to identity and values in the Middle Ages can prove that eating is not simply a biological way of providing energy for individuals to keep up with daily life. References Adamson, M. W. (1995). Food in the Middle Ages: A Book of Essays. New York: Garland Publishing Adamson, M. W. (2004). Food in Medieval Times. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Bynum, C. (1987). Holy Feast and Holy Famine. Berkley. Carlin M. and Rosenthal J. (Eds. ). (1998). Food and Eating in Medieval Europe. London. Ferreires, M. (2006). Sacred cow Mad Cow A History of food Fears. New York. Columbia University Press. Mennell, S. (1985). All Manners of Food: Eating and Taste in England and France from the Middle Ages to Present. Oxford. MSN Encarta. (1993-2008). The Middle Ages. Retrieved May 6, 2008 from http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761578474/Middle_Ages. html Scholliers, P. (2001). Food, Drink and Identity: Cooking, Eating and Drinking in Europe since the Middle Ages. Oxford: Berg Woolgar, C. et al. (2006). Food in Medieval England: diet and Nutrition. Oxford.