Would a knight have eaten at McDonald's?

            We often have many misconceptions on how people used to live in the past. I recommend a video "Jędrek o historii- Alkohole i uczty" recorded by a castellan of Chojnik castle,  in which he talks about alcohols drunk in the past, as well as typical medieval feasts. 

There was a huge variety of recipes available in the Middle Ages, some of them seem extremely exotic and sophisiticated even today- for exemple parrot tongues in sour sauce. According to that man, providers had to import thousands of parrots, then kill them in Malbork in order to prepare the meal. During royal feasts guests could taste a mind-boggling quantity of dishes. Six meat types were served, each of them prepared in 23 different ways. Pepper used to be the most expensive spice.

Another widespread myth says that tomatoes were brought to Poland by queen Bona. It's false. Until the end of the 17^th century they were cultivated in Italy as an ornamental plant, later as a herb.  Its Italian name ‘pomodoro’ derives from ‘ pomo d’oro’- ‘golden apple’. Potatoes were imported to Europe from Latin America as well. Its French name ‘ pommes-de-terre’ means literally ‘apples from the ground’. It’s quite amusing to analyse how new appellations were created. First potatoes were considered a plebeian food. A French cook Parmentier strived to change that. He succeeded because it is said that the favourite Louis XIV’s cream soup was  made of potatoes and leeks. However,  what has really struck me, is the fact that a lot of rice was consumed in medieval France and Italy. Italians even cultivated that grain. Whereas Poles ate mostly broad bean  and peas.

         When it comes to alcohol, beer was allegedly invented in Egypt 3000 years B.C. Societies that cherished beer drinking survived to this day. Medieval beer contained 1-4% of alcohol, which prevented bacteria from developing. The best Polish beer was produced in Świdnica and then transported even to a place situated 500 km away. Poles have been producing beer since the 13^th century. However, Poland was famous for its mead, made of honey and forest fruits. Mead could be stored for a long period of time, while red wine got sour after two years, because no preservation measures were known during Middle Ages. The 19^th C. was a period of heavy drinking for Poles. Alcohol was so cheap that peasants paid only to enter the inn. There, they could drink as much as they desired. Fortunately, things have changed a bit since then. 

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