Step aside modern diets… there’s growing evidence that a medieval peasant’s diet may be just the ticket.
A new study shows that what peasants ate during the Middle Ages was healthier than what we eat today.
Peasants during the Middle Ages had a pretty simple diet. It generally consisted of rye bread with butter and cheese, weak ale or red wine, fish and rabbits caught locally, garden-grown vegetables, and berries, nuts, and honey foraged from the woods. For the most part, peasants did not eat much pork or beef, as it was too costly to maintain a pig or cow. Due to financial constraints, they also did not snack often and would occasionally miss a meal (or two). On top of that, their diet was fairly bland, which actually helped reduce their appetite. Moreover, peasants… well, walked. A lot. (Yes, they got their steps in.)
According to Sarah Laskow, who followed a medieval health manual for a few weeks, she felt fantastic on a peasant’s more home-grown, organic diet.
So if you are looking to eat more healthy and feel great, just costume up, grab that mutton leg, hunk of brown bread and cheese, and goblet of ale, and feast way… not just for faire, but year round!
Want to try your hand at making a loaf of peasant bread? Check out this recipe for ancient sourdough, using peasant-inspired flour: https://www.bakerybits.co.uk/resources/medieval-sourdough/