Historical Cookery
We often mull over the question “what was there to eat and drink in those days”. We are passionate gourmets and try to cook according to the period.
We are of the opinion that medieval cooking is no simple craft! Why is this so?
As cooking, baking and frying on an open fire, in the glow of hot coals or a hot steamy clay oven, contrary to the modern methods of the 21st Century, presents a much different challenge. Whoever dares to try this craft will soon realise that it is many-sided and fascinating.
The first challenge is making a fire without using modern tools. Alone the collecting and assembling of ingredients therefore is complex. We select foodstuffs for the table according to season, whether oatmeal, venison, dried fish and fruits, vegetables, nuts, wine or home-brewed beverages. The list of foodstuffs in our portrayal is comprehensive and long. Nobody needed to starve but history shows us that significant climate changes and seasonal drifts made our ancestors’ survival difficult and had devastating effects on harvests. Historical cooking is one of the crafts that allows the most experiments.
Some examples thereof are when we grind corn into flour using a reconstructed millstone, desiccating handpicked fruits and vegetables, the production of beer and cheese, the drying of fish also the processing of fresh meat as well as the cooking of the finest broths. Catering for the group is an important topic for each of our events.
©2012
