For the well-to-do, medieval meals were made of some courses. Displaying extravagance was very leading to show others how well off you were. The main course was normally a very justify dish. Appetizers were often served in the middle of courses or at the end of a meal.
Appetizers could be sweet or savory. Meatballs were popular. They could be served in general ball shapes or sculpted into hedgehogs or fruit. Mini pies could be made with custard or they could be savory. These tiny pasties could be filled with mushrooms, meat or eggs and bacon like a quiche.
Knives And Cutlery
Medieval appetizers were also very favorite at tourneys and hunting parties. Each lady would have her tent set up for her relieve and convenience. She would have finger foods prepared by her cook to serve to those friends who dropped by. Again, the customary theorize was to impress them with their extravagant nature, not nothing else but to feed her visitors. Using imported cheeses, wines and spices made her look good in front of all her contemporaries.
Diners were startling to bring their own cutlery, which consisted of a knife and spoon. Forks were not used until the 1600s. If you want to plan a medieval meal of your own, serve your guests with trenchers. A trencher was a deep slice of bread with the center scooped out to form a bowl. The trenchers were filled from the dishes of food served for each course. The most leading citizen got the freshest trenchers. Servants, the poor, and the animals got the leftover trencher portions not eaten by the family and guests. Leftover meat and fruit would be saved for the next day's breakfast.
Recipe for Pumpes
Meatballs were often served in the middle of courses as an appetizer for the next course. While this formula is for beef, you can also substitute pork or any other ground meat that you prefer. Serve these with toothpicks at your own parties to impress your guests, just like the medieval ladies of olde.
What You Need
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon mace
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch saffron
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup red wine
For the sauce:
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon rice flour
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon mace
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
How to Make It
Mix your ground beef with the egg yolks, sugar, currants, and spices. Form into small balls measuring about an inch in diameter.
Boil broth and wine. Add the meatballs and boil until done; practically 15 minutes. Take off the meatballs from the broth and set them in a serving dish.
Using a detach pan, mix the almond milk, rice flour, sugar, and mace. Bring the composition to a boil and reduce the heat. Let it simmer over medium until it thickens. Pour sauce over the pumpes (meatballs) until it just coats them. Serve hot.
The Medieval Kitchen - Medieval Appetizer Recipes