The age of chivalry and good manners began in the Middle Ages.  The feast was not only an experience for stomach but a banquet for the eyes.  Rank definitely had its privileges at a medieval feast.  The salt cellar proclaimed social hierarchy and one either sat 'above' the salt or 'below'.  Salt was a valuable commodity and was placed in the middle of the dining table in a elaborate metal or glass dish where it was easy to judge the social status of a person by his proximity to the salt cellar.
.          Forks and spoons were primarily used for serving and in the kitchen.  People ate with their fingers while all the time observing elaborate rituals such as extending certain fingers while eating greasy foods to allow clean fingers for the next dish. Finger bowls were provided for cleaning the fingers.  Knifes were the common utensil of chose.  If you had a most honored guest than they need not bring their own knife as one would be provided for them.  But for the most part each person brought their own. 
         The large, coarse towels which were used at the medieval table shrank in size over the centuries and eventually became the table napkin or serviette. Kings and princes may have dined off silver or gold plate, but the vast majority of the populace had pewter or wooden dishes. Very popular were trenchers (baked flour and water paste) which evolved into the tart or tartlet. Most people used wooden, horn or leather drinking vessels. Glass goblets were so valuable in medieval times that they were given individual names.
         Just noble beasts as wild boar and noble birds as peacocks and swans were brought into the great hall in a grand procession by sons of noblemen.  The traditional order in which the English dinner was served is soup, fish, salad, meat, dessert, cheese and sometimes fruit. Surrounding these are the relishes, vegetables, pickles, sauces, tarts, fruit pies, puddings, cakes and wines. Weak beer was formerly drunk at breakfast, ale or cider with lunch and wine with dinner.


          



         The Tudors called the dessert course at a feast a 'banquet' and erected special Banqueting Halls where diners retired after the main meal to enjoy jellies, tarts and sweet wines. Puddings have long been a part of English desserts, as are pies made with the famous English apples. Cheese, believed to aid in digestion and clear the palate, sometimes concluded the meal.
         In today's world, the evening meal may have lost some of its tradition and grandeur, with many quaint customs having long since been abandoned. Some of us may bemoan this fact and wistfully dream of sitting down to the typical English dinner of yesteryear. However, the next time a wave of sentimentality threatens, it may help to remember that the typical medieval bill of fare consisted of 80 oxen, 6 wild bulls, 1,004 sheep, 300 calves, 2,000 pigs, 400 hart, bucks and does, 3,000 capons, 3,000 geese and assorted wild game such as herons, egrets, bitterns and swans!

In Days of Yore

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