Food, Values and Identity in the Middle Ages Essay

regimen is oneness of the basic essentials for human race to live. The intellectual nourishment we bury prepares us the sustenance for our daily duties. eventiden during the ancient times, humans had a wide variety of nourishmentstuffs to choose from with shopping center and plant nutrition as the two general categories (Adamson, 2004). However, even if in that respect are equivalent nutriment resources all around the world, what raft feed vary from one culture to an opposite, thus in that respect were variations on how they cook incompatible fodders and how they eat. As time progressed, simple meals became elaborate with the continuous addition of different ingredients to take it more palatable to the taste of numerous.Diets of wad evolve, depending on their quests, status, time menstruations and of course, the availability of the victuals itself. Through fare, some population are able to institute their determine or principles that they believe in. For example, Muslims do non eat pork barrel because the pig is considered as a dirty animal in their religion. The food wad consume is sometimes utilize to char practiseerize them (Scholliers, 2001), not exclusively as various(prenominal)s alone as part of a group. All oer the world, food portrayed a cracking component in mold humans, their values, identity and the conjunction and period they live in. One notable period in history is the affectionateness Ages.It was the time when there were more political, social, sparing and social changes and the period which alike led to the transformation of many atomic number 63an states (MSN Encarta, 1993-2008). What role did food play in the mediaeval ages? What was its relationship surrounded by values and identity in the period of the tenderness Ages? It is interesting to discover how food contri faired to the culture of the people during these times of immense changes in the society and counsel of living of people. eat i n the center 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 unretentive ate faeces be seen from the some of Chaucers and Langlands committal to writing. Serfs were provided by their lords limited variety and amount of foodstuffs, mainly consisting of bread, a snack of cheese, ale or cider and dish of either slant or stub. This fish and means 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 similarly said that the poor was also associated to take in dairy products (Mennell, 1985) while the mysterious people had a disregard for them. Meat was everlastingly associated with the cryptic and it was them who always had a plentiful supply. Selling of meat was complicated during the time of t he midway 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 part of products for the bar cumulateers. 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 soundly by the lords of the city. In this aspect, meat was not and utilise 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 dedicate up around the city, the townspeople butcher shop and the common butcher shop. These two kinds of shops were different because they mete out different qualities of meats (Ferreires, 2006).These meats were nearlyly for the consumption of the bass because the town butcher shops sell high quality meats while the common butcher shop sold, though not low quality, meat sold there was considered as game rate Ferreires, 2006). Poor people had another option where they put up 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 command 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 put in the city. Even if there was a social distribution of food among the people during the Middle Ages, how food was cooke d was very simple for both racy and the poor.Slow boiling (Mennell, 1985) was the major method in which food was cooked during the Middle Ages in the first place because the meals nimble 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 scarcely cooked in boiling water or milk. Little is known nearly the recipes that people cooked during the Middle Ages. However, readiness 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 chivalrous cuisine accompanimently foc employ on the ingredients and the combination of flavors that is pu t into a dish. Unfortunately, the first recorded recipes were vague, pen with lack of precision on how it was cooked, how a great deal of an ingredient was needed and what utensils were used. Earliest recipes in the Middle Ages were seen but as a list of ingredients.Most writers of the culinary manuscripts were anonymous and it was knockout to trace more information to the highest degree the recipes. But with the emergence of the master-chefs, cooks who wrote recipes from personalised experience, specifying details of the dish to be cooked, written recipes evolved. This phylogenesis of recipes may fetch also been attributed to the evolving culinary techniques, practices and strategies of the cooks that time. Other factors, such(prenominal) 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 m ore cooks and chefs came out from their anonymity and were recognized. They were then suitably 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 provision manuscripts from late medieval Northern Italy which had many points in common with all(prenominal) 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 You are what you eat, can be interpreted literally because whatever food that goes into our body contributes to how our bodies are made of. whatsoever 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 aesthesis 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 make 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 identify 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 coin to buy a wider variety of foodstuffs than the commoner. Their diet consisted mainly of fresh bread, cheese, meat and wine. Relationship mingled with identity and food in the Middle Ages could also be seen in the positive(p) diets of the time. Foods that were coarse, heavy and inexpensive were convinced(p) to eat by those workers who had heavy physical work. They were supposed to become more prone 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 the n 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 abbreviation or intake foods eaten by the laborers because they do not consume excessively 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, frugal and political aspects that should be considered when looki ng at peoples identities. some other role that food may have a relationship with is values in the Middle Ages. The relationship amongst 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 in general used as sacrificial offering to God Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat meat and according to Adamson (2004), it was only later on Noah and those who embodyed 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 dirty and consuming pipeline 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 delineated by the wine and bread which p eople must take to absorb 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 authorized 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 in some manner telling the gods that you are unforced 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 melodic line 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. self-restraint 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 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 idle 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 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 magnanimous 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 ones identity.The relationship between food and values is closely linked to religion because there were particular foods that were considered as 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 ones 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 t o 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. hypertext mark-up language Scholliers, P. (2001). Food, Drink and Identity Cooking, Eating and Drinki ng in Europe since the Middle Ages. Oxford Berg Woolgar, C. et al. (2006). Food in Medieval England diet and Nutrition. Oxford.