History Main / StockMedievalMeal

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploughmans_lunch Ploughman's Lunch]] is a meal specifically created to evoke this trope, consisting of the simple breads, cheeses and cold cuts of meat that would have been eaten by working class laborers as a portable meal. More specifically, it was conceived as a pub lunch in the 50s as a way to reintroduce cheese as a snack (rationing from the war having recently ended).

-->-- '''Peter Ramsay''' pitching the storyboard scene "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBeWlsHAeiM&t=9m46s Hot Lunch]]" for ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploughmans_lunch Ploughman's Lunch]] is a meal specifically created to evoke this trope, consisting of the simple breads, cheeses and cold cuts of meat that would have been eaten by working class laborers as a portable meal. More specifically, it was conceived as a pub lunch in the 50's as a way to reintroduce cheese as a snack (rationing from the war having recently ended).

-->-- '''Peter Ramsay''' pitching the storyboard scene "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBeWlsHAeiM&t=619s Hot Lunch]]" for ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''

* Medieval fairs usually have recreations of taverns based on Medieval Europe and HighFantasy media that serve you Medieval food like bread, cheese, potato,[[note]]Which is [[AnachronismStew anachronistic]] for historical fairs, as potatoes are native to the Americas and were not widely consumed in any part of Europe until the second half of the 18th century.[[/note]] some kind of meat and a beverage (not always beer, also can be fruit juice and wine), and usually with no forks or knives to eat them.

-->-- '''Peter Ramsay''' pitching the storyboard scene "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBeWlsHAeiM&t=619sHot Lunch]]" for ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''

That said, there's a certain amount of TruthInTelevision here for poor people. Peasants didn't eat much meat, but bread would have been a staple item, and the stewpot was an efficient way to cook, as you could mix in bits and pieces of roots and herbs you happen to have.

** Judges Guild supplement ''City State of the World Emperor''. The Wayfarer Bard Inn serves bread, soup, cheese, stew and ale.

** Judges Guild supplement ''City State of the World Emperor''. The Wayfarer Bard serves bread, soup, cheese and stew.

%%* English folk-rock band Music/SteeleyeSpan use this motif as the gatefold image on their LP ''Below The Salt''. The position of the communal salt-dish on the table denoted the social status of the diner; those sitting "above the salt" and nearest to the noble host were of elevated social status; those sitting "below the salt" were not. The LP image shows the band members twice; dressed as uncouth barefoot peasants on the left, as nobles to the right. The spread of goods on the table is typical medieval fare - this might make a good page image? also the song ''King Henery'', as incidental detail, mentions the sort of things the King might have brought with him as snacks on a hunting trip. Gatefold LP sleeve [[https://altrockchick.com/2013/09/29/classic-music-review-below-the-salt-by-steeleye-span/ here]]

* Medieval fairs usually have recreations of taverns based on Medieval Europe and HighFantasy media that serve you Medieval food like bread, cheese, potato,[[labelnote:*]]Which is [[AnachronismStew anachronistic]] for historical fairs, as potatoes are native to the Americas and were not widely consumed in any part of Europe until the second half of the 18th century.[[/labelnote]] some kind of meat and a beverage (not always beer, also can be fruit juice and wine), and usually with no forks or knives to eat them.

** Food gets enough attention for the series to have its own cookbook, ''A Feast of Ice and Fire''.

* Medieval fairs usually have recreations of taverns based on Medieval Europe and HighFantasy media that serve you Medieval food like bread, cheese, potato,[[labelnote:*]]Which is anachronistic for historical fairs, as potatoes are native to the Americas and were not widely consumed in any part of Europe until the second half of the 18th century.[[/labelnote]] some kind of meat and a beverage (not always beer, also can be fruit juice and wine), and usually with no forks or knives to eat them.

Actual medieval cookery was far more advanced than this[[note]]Admittedly, the extant cookbooks were written for noble households[[/note]], but unless the author is a history and/or cooking buff, you won't see any sign of this.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire[=/=]Series/GameOfThrones'', pot shops in the poorer parts of King's Landing will sell you a hunk of bread and a "bowl of brown", an indeterminate stew made of meat, vegetables, and [[ImAHumanitarian the occasional political undesirable]]. Averted for the nobility in the novels, where Martin devotes pages to describing in detail the elaborate meals everyone is eating. (''WebVideo/BingingWithBabish'' did an episode devoted to the foods of ''Game of Thrones'', including two high-class dishes--the game pie served at the Purple Wedding and the lemon cakes served at Highgarden--and a less high-class one--Dothraki blood pie).

* Averted in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' where the heroes may visit a place simply to try their local cuisine and tear through several plates of it. An entire episode was devoted to the killing of a ''[[OurDragonsAreDifferent large dragon]]'' as the main ingredient of a local specialty, although the characters don't actually get to eat it because the flesh is very poisonous and takes months to make it edible.

* Houses in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' (basically ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'') usually have cheese, bread, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables strewn across the table. They aren't prepared in any specific way -- there are full loaves of bread, full heads of lettuce, etc. It seems like nobody ever actually cooks, but just eats stock pieces of food. It might also be worth mentioning that this is a universe where putting cheese on bread would be considered "alchemy."

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

In RealLife, during the early medieval period, peasants ate "bread, porridge, herb and roots", supplemented by fish, shellfish, hare, pigs fattened in acorns and chicken. The root crops included "turnips, radishes, onion, leeks, carrots (of a sort)" and parsnip. In the "herb" category were cabbage, spinach, cress, and nettle/thistle sprouts. [[note]]Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing, 1988. p. 93[[/note]] By the late medieval era, sheep were an important food source, supplying milk, meat and cooking fat. Even though pasture-grazed sheep's meat was "stringy", slow-cooking in a stew pot helped to tenderize it.[[note]]Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing, 1988. p. 175[[/note]]

In RealLife, during the early medieval period, peasants ate "bread, porridge, herb and roots", supplemented by fish, shellfish, hare, pigs fattened in acorns and chicken. The root crops included "turnips, radishes, onion, leeks, carrots (of a sort)" and pasnip. In the "herb" category were cabbage, spinach, cress, and nettle/thistle sprouts. [[note]]Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing, 1988. p. 93[[/note]] By the late medieval era, sheep were an important food source, supplying milk, meat and cooking fat. Even though pasture-grazed sheep's meat was "stringy", slow-cooking in a stew pot helped to tenderize it.[[note]]Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing, 1988. p. 175[[/note]]

That said, there's a certain amount of TruthInTelevision here for poor people. Peasants didn't eat much meat, but bread would have been a staple item, and the stewpot was an efficient way to cook, as you could mix in bits and pieces you happen to have.

In RealLife, during the early medieval period, peasants ate "bread, porridge, herb and roots", supplemented by fish, shellfish, hare, pigs fattened in acorns and chicken. The root crops included "turnips, radishes, onion, leeks, carrots (of a sort)" and pasnip. In the "herb" category were cabbage, spinach, cress, and nettle/thistle sprouts. [[note]]Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing, 1988. p. 93[[/note]]

When the MainCharacters of a fantasy novel stop for a meal, they don't get much of a choice on what to eat. If the setting is anything close to "generic copy of Europe", they'll be handed cheese, a rough-looking

In RealLife, during the early medieval period, peasants ate "bead, porridge, herb and roots", supplemented by fish, shellfish, hare, pigs fattened in acorns and chicken. The root crops included "turnips, radishes, onion, leeks, carrots (of a sort)" and pasnip. In the "herb" category were cabbage, spinach, cress, and nettle/thistle sprouts. [[note]]Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. Crown Publishing, 1988. p. 93[[/note]]

loaf of bread, a wooden bowl of stew or soup, and a tankard of ale. Rich characters might have a joint of meat as well.

Actual medieval cookery was far more advanced than this[[note]]Admittedly, the extant cookbooks were written for noble households[[/note]], but unless the author is a history and/or cooking buff, you won't see any sign of this. You also won't see anyone eating plant-based foods other than bread, unless it's being used in the stewpot. Poor people or travelers could gather wild plants, nuts, and mushrooms, but only rarely will fictional characters do likewise.