Where can I eat medieval food?
Medieval cuisine (roughly 5th to 15th century) in Europe had a plethora of dishes basically unknown to the modern palate: frumenty, pottage, sops, possets, etc.
Are there any restaurants where I can eat these today? Primarily interested in medieval European cuisine, but open to answers elsewhere in the world.
Honorary mention: Cardo Culinaria in Jerusalem, which tried to recreate the authentic ancient Roman dining experience. It had to abandon more and more pretense of authenticity over the years though (persnickety customers insisting on forks instead of eating by hand etc) and eventually closed sometime in the early 2000s.
Update: I've accepted the best answer to date, but am still open to more since no actual restaurant listed so far quite fits the bill.
Best Answer
Yes, in many German cities you will be able to find restaurants that serve medieval food. I know some of the places as I am actively taking part on some medieval groups and we sometimes meet in such places (before Corona hit).
Places I personally know and can recommend:
- Comturei in Bremen https://comturei.jimdo.com/
- Ritterkeller in Aulendorf https://www.ritterkeller.de/english-information-hotel-arthus/
- Grischäfers Tafeley in Bad Emstal https://grischaefer.de/mittelalterlich/
- Excalibur in Hannover https://www.excalibur-hannover.de/
Then I know some real beautiful places in France, but the most impressive one with the best "vibe" and food was this one:
- La Rotisserie http://restaurant-medieval.fr/
These are places that are serving good medieval food and also try to get a good feeling of the general setting.
Also as others have mentioned you can sometimes find good food when you visit the medieval fairs. Though nowadays a lot of times you find very modern stuff being served there.
Pictures about "Where can I eat medieval food?"
What food did the medieval eat?
Peasants tended to keep cows, so their diets consisted largely of dairy produce such as buttermilk, cheese, or curds and whey. Rich and poor alike ate a dish called pottage, a thick soup containing meat, vegetables, or bran.Did medieval food taste good?
Short answer: Yes, much of it would be considered tasty. Long answer: Medieval cuisine was rich and varied, and it obviously differed greatly from place to place.Were there restaurants in medieval times?
Restaurants in Medieval times In Europe throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, taverns and inns continued to be the main place to buy a prepared meal. In Spain, they were called bodegas and served tapas. In England, items like sausage and shepherd's pie were popular.What was a popular food in the Middle Ages?
The staple foods of the Middle Ages were bread and cereal. Poor people usually ate barley, oats, and rye \u2013 wheat (used in bread, porridge, gruel, and pasta) was reserved for the rich. Rice and potatoes were introduced later and only became widespread after the 1530s.What did peasants eat in medieval times?
More answers regarding where can I eat medieval food?
Answer 2
I have had some trial bites of real old recipes in open air museums, where they cook to show the houses authentic. But it is hit and miss and under covid rules almost never possible.
Some do offer cooking lessons or foraging and preparing sessions, again under normal opening rules. And mostly only in the summer season.
Answer 3
Bors Hede Inne near Seattle USA:
Sumptuous platters of fresh food, prepared from authentic 14th century recipes, are brought before you. Sight, smell, taste, and touch are brought into play as your fingers, spoon, and borde knyfe dip into uniquely sauced entrees, served on platters, to be eaten from your bread trencher (plate). Fine wine, mead, ale or juice is served in earthen pitchers for your drinking mazer (coffee, tea and soda pop are unknown in these times).
Answer 4
Let me add two suggestions in Sweden.
The restaurant Aifur in Stockholm supposedly serves medieval cousine (I say supposedly because I really have no knowledge of what food would qualify).
One week each year the medieval week (medeltidsveckan) is celebrated on the island Gotland. Supposedly you could find the food there to your requirements.
Answer 5
You could try and look for experimental archeology groups, and see if you can find one that is interested in cooking, middle ages and is near you.
Experimental archeology is a way to test hypotheses by actually physically trying them out. And it is not just done by scientists but it is a hobby for people as well.
In the Netherlands there is a living history museum with recreated dwellings, crafts and so on from the prehistory to about the middle ages, but I don't remember any medieval food being served (they did have herbal tea in the medieval village, served in an earthen mug). So maybe they have food at other times.
A similar thing are Viking weekends, enacted by volunteers/history nerds. It will depend on what specific individuals are into, some are into dying fabrics the viking way, some are into agriculture or leartherworking. You just have to find a group of foodies.
Answer 6
Your own kitchen.
Where can you eat medieval food? Your own kitchen, after you cook it yourself. There are Youtube channels such as Tasting History with Max Miller that demonstrate medieval recipes that you can try yourself. Modern History TV also has a few videos demonstrating medieval cooking for different social classes, and How to Cook That with Ann Reardon has a few videos demonstrating how to cook deserts from the Early Modern period (which is, admittedly, post-medieval). Part of the difficulty with reconstructing medieval cooking is the lack of proper recipes prior to the invention of the modern cookbook in the Victorian era, but you can use these videos as a guide on how to proceed since they've already done the research for you.
Answer 7
There is Olde Hansa restaurant https://www.oldehansa.ee/ in the old town of Tallinn, Estonia. The food is of good quality (it seems they try to be as authentic as possible but still offer things that people love nowadays). In addition to good food, there used to be live medieval music played quite often. There is also craft store selling a big variety of different medieval style crafts and their sweet almonds are sold on the street (the smell is always mouthwatering).
Answer 8
I would like to add this restaurant: Kr?ma U dwau Maryí, ?eský Krumlov. They serve traditional Bohemian cuisine from the 15th century.
Edit: Here's a picture of the "vegetarian feast" https://imgur.com/a/GlwDWiE
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: SHVETS production, Monstera, Andrea Piacquadio, Ella Olsson