By Catherine T Wilson
Continuing with our advent calendar theme of 2022, we decided to create a set of magazine covers in the likeness of GQ or Men’s Health that capture the medieval essence for men. If such a journal could have existed, what sort of articles would it have contained? Anything and everything to assist a knight or his squire about to set out on a military campaign, crusade or pilgrimage. So please enjoy the snippets below from the February issues of The Rusty Gauntlet.
It must also be mentioned that some articles in these blogs are written as they would have appeared directly in the ‘magazine’, whilst others, due to wanting to be as informative as possible, are written from the present-day point of view. Either way, please enjoy.
HOW TO SURVIVE LENT – What foods are forbidden and what can you eat to keep up your strength?
Firstly, what exactly is Lent? During the medieval era, when people were governed not only by laws of the kingdom but by religion, they followed strict religious rituals and Lent was a period of observance and abstinence from worldly pleasures to remember Jesus’ fasting in the desert.
It begins with Shrovetide, also known as Carnival, which possibly originates from the medieval Latin phrase “carnem levare” (farewell to meat) or “carnelevarium”, which also means to take away or remove meat and it typically involves the following days:-
- Quinquagesima (or Shrove Sunday): This day marks the beginning of Carnival and falls on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
- Shrove Monday: The merrymaking continues on this day.
- Shrove Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras): The final day of Carnival, filled with revelry and festivities before the austere 40 days of Lent begin.
Shrove Tuesday became known as ‘pancake day,’ and provided an opportunity to use up all the eggs and milk in the household before the fasting began. Not only must one abstain from eating meat, eggs, or dairy, they couldn’t play any sports, and had to abstain from sex!
The 14th-century Shropshire cleric John Mirk wrote of Easter as the time when fires were extinguished, hearths were strewn with fresh rushes, flowers displayed and houses cleaned. Celebrations went on for many days after the Easter weekend.
Ash Wednesday (the day after Pancake Day) and Good Friday were “black fasts.” These consisted of taking only one meal per day of bread, water, and herbs, after sunset. Other days of Lent: no food until 3pm, the hour of Our Lord’s death. Water was allowed, and as was the case for the time due to sanitary concerns, watered-down beer and wine, water not always being a healthy choice in medieval times. The Sundays during Lent were days of less liturgical discipline, but the fasting rules above remained.
So, what could you eat during Lent in medieval times? Interestingly, medieval cooks got creative with the limited food options. They made the most of the few permitted foods, including wine, ale, bread, nuts, seasonal fruit and vegetables, sugar, and spice. There seems to be divided opinion on whether you can count seafood as on the list, or off. One source indicated ‘anything with a backbone or spine was out,’ leaving soft invertebrate fish/shellfish/jellyfish as acceptable and another states that dried sea fish like stockfish, herring, and cod were staples during Lent.
Flat pies, known as ‘Flathouns’, were evidently a popular delicacy in 14th-century England. The Harley manuscript (MS 279) shows a recipe for an almond-based pie specifically made for Lent.
But the best source I found of what you could eat comes from a fourteenth-century poem written by Archpriest Juan Ruiz of Spain called The Book of Good Love. This epic work contains an allegorical battle between Lady Lent and Sir Carnival that must go down as the best medieval food fight ever!
To put you in the scene, Lady Lent sends a letter to Sir Carnival to let him know that as soon as Mardi Gras (Carnival) is over, she will attack him and defeat him, ridding good Christians of his bad influence. So warned, Sir Carnival, begins to gather his forces.
In his vanguard he had ranged excellent foot soldiers: Hens and Partridges, Rabbits and Capons, Ducks domestic and wild, and fat Geese were mustered near the embers. They bore their lances like front-line men, huge skewers of iron and wood. For shields they had platters: at any proper feast, they are the first course. After these shield-bearers came the bowmen: salted Geese, Mutton Loins, fresh Legs of Pork, and whole Hams. And following them came the knights: Beef-quarters, suckling Pigs and Kids, gamboling and squealing. Then came the squires: many Cream Cheeses that ride and spur dark wines…. Sir Bacon came in a full pot with many a Corned Beef, Rib and Pork Loin. They were all ready for the fierce battle.
Carnival, true to form, has a huge feast with his army, eating and being entertained by jesters, accompanied by his sergeant-at-arms: Wine. The company falls into a contented sleep, getting their beauty rest before they’re to fight.
Suddenly, at midnight, Lady Lent appears, yelling out, “God be our strength!” She has brought with her a vicious army of seafood and greens, and the battle begins.
First to wound Sir Carnival was white-necked Leek, hurting him so badly that he spat phlegm, a fearful omen…. Salty Sardine came in to help and wounded fat Hen by throwing herself into her bill and choking her, and then she cracked Sir Carnival’s helmet. Great Dogfish charged the front line, while the Clams and the Cuttlefish guarded the flanks. The fighting was chaotic and confused, and many good heads were split open. From the coast of Valencia came the Eels, marinated and cured, in large crowds; they struck Sir Carnival in midchest, while Trout from Alberche hit him in the jaw. Tuna fought like a fierce lion; he rushed Sir Lard and hurled insults, and if it had not been for Corned Beef, who warded off the lance, Tuna would have wounded Sir Lard through the heart. From the region of Bayona came many Sharks, killing the Partridges and castrating the Capons…. Red Lobsters flocked from Santander, emptying their heavy quivers and making Sir Carnival pay heavily…. Dogfish, a tough ruffian, went about madly, brandishing a mace slung from a belt, with which he banged Pig and Suckling in mid-forehead, and then ordered them salted down in Villenchón salt. Squid showed the Peacocks no quarter, nor allowed the Pheasants to fly away; the Kids and the Deer he tried to strangle. With his many arms, he can fight many opponents.
Carnival is finally confronted with Salmon, who (Ruiz says) he might have defeated, “but giant Whale came at him, embraced him, and threw him down on the sand.”
The captured Carnival is carted away to jail, where he is guarded by Sir Fast and sentenced to penance which involves both humility and humble food (“when the lentils begin to taste good, you must stop eating them”). Lady Corned Beef and Sir Lard are not so lucky: they are hanged as “just punishment for their deeds”. Carnival languishes in jail until Palm Sunday when he escapes as he is being escorted to mass. He is soon welcomed back in the company of Sir Love in celebration of Easter, while Lady Lent slips out in the guise of a pilgrim.
Ruiz is obviously playing here, and he would have expected readers to enjoy the silliness of this epic battle while taking in the lesson as to which foods are acceptable during Lent, and which are not. Between the battle and Carnival’s escape, Ruiz spends a significant amount of time explaining the importance of penance and how it works. He seems to be using a classic teaching technique: grab the student’s attention with something entertaining and then redirect that attention to an important lesson.
That said, the battle between Sir Carnival and Lady Lent is epic silliness, and something that is completely in keeping with a medieval sense of humour: outrageous, slightly sacrilegious, and over-the-top.
For even more of Carnival versus Lent (and yes, there’s more!), check out The Book of Good Love by Juan Ruiz. This translation is by Rigo Mignani and Mario A. Di Cesare.
When finally Easter Sunday arrived, Lent was over and a great feasting began! Imagine all the meats and egg dishes that would have been served. It was a time for celebration and great joy.
IF AN ARMY MARCHES ON ITS STOMACH, HOW DOES IT SURVIVE FASTING BEFORE EASTER?
It seems the simple answer is … they didn’t fight during Lent! Warriors were forbidden by the church to fight on religious feast days, (of which there were many in the medieval calendar) and Lent would have been at the top of the list. Winter was another time that was avoided, if possible. The logistics for moving an army were hard enough without adding snow and blizzards into the mix, let alone fasting days, though cutting rations may have helped.
EGGS, EGGS EVERYWHERE! Since chickens don’t stop laying, what do you do with all those eggs during Lent? Plus one great recipe!
Following Shrove Tuesday where medieval cooks used up the supply of eggs, milk and butter on hand, there was the question of what to do with the eggs if the hens kept laying. Some suggest it was a cold month and therefore the hens would not be prolific but we have to assume there were some and forty days is a long time to neglect collecting the eggs!
With the possibility of a large number of eggs laid, boiling them to preserve them was the answer. The colouring of eggs is associated with various legends. An ancient story recounts Mary Magdalene being summoned by Emperor Tiberius and stating that Christ had been resurrected. The sceptical Caesar pointed to an egg and exclaimed, “Christ has not risen, no more than that egg is red”—after which the egg in question miraculously turned blood-red. One Eastern Orthodox myth presents either Mary Magdalene or Mary, the mother of Jesus, placing a basket of eggs under the cross. The blood of Christ fell on the eggs, turning them red. According to another tale, Simon of Cyrene was an egg merchant who had to leave his basket of eggs to help Jesus carry the cross. When he returned, he found that his eggs had changed colour!
Eggs played a huge part in Easter celebrations during 1276. Eleanor and Simon de Montfort bought 3700 eggs for their feast, (so somewhere chickens were still laying!) and in 1290 Edward I’s accounts show that he obtained eggs that were “boiled and stained, or covered with leaf gold, and afterwards distributed to the royal household at Easter.” (William Hone, The Every-Day Book)
When Easter Sunday arrived, any fresh eggs were used for the feast, the good boiled ones were either used in food preparation, or ones that may be ‘doubtful’ would be painted for the children to play at rolling downhill.
Recipe for Cream Custard Tart
‘Doucetes. Take Creme a gode cupfulle, & put it on a straynour, thanne take yolkes of Eyroun, and put ther-to, & a lytel mylke; then strayne it throw a straynour in-to a bolle; then take Sugre y-now, put ther-to, or ellys hony forde faute of Sugre, than coloure it with Safroun; than take thin cofyns, & put it in the ovynne letre, & tat hem ben hardyd; than take a dyssche y-fastenyd on the pelys ende, & pore thin comade in-to the dyssche, & fro the dyssche in-to the cofyns; & whan they don a-ryse wet, teke hem out, ee serue hem forth.’
–Fifteenth-Century Cookery Book, Harleian MS 279, p.50.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- Pulverized dried saffron strands
- Shortcrust pastry made with 225g flour, 65g butter, 40g lard, and cold water to mix (use butter instead of lard to make this vegetarian)
- 6 egg yolks
- 350ml double cream
- 125ml milk
- 65g white sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Method
Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp water until the water is deep gold in colour. Add the pastry to a 20cm pie plate or cake tin with a loose bottom, with a depth of 5cm. Bake ‘blind’ in a preheated oven at 200°C for 15–20 minutes, then remove the filling of dried beans and return the case to the oven at about 160°C for 6–8 minutes until dried out and firm. Remember a cake tin is deeper than a pie plate so the case in it may need longer baking than usual. Beat the egg yolks lightly in a bowl, then beat in the cream, milk, sugar, saffron water and salt. Pour the custard into the pastry case. Bake it at 160°C for about 45 minutes or until it is just set in the centre. Serve warm. Make small tarts if you prefer. The full recipe quantity of pastry will make 36 tarts, using a 7.5cm cutter. You will need two thirds of the filling for them.
PREPARE FOR HOCKTIDE – ARE YOU READY TO RUN?
Following Easter Sunday and the lifting of restrictions meant a time of fun and frivolity again. The Monday following Easter Sunday was known as ‘Hock Monday.’ This involved the young women of the village capturing the young men. The men could then only be released once a ransom was paid – this was normally a kiss or a donation to the Church, sometimes both.
The same thing happened on ‘Hock Tuesday’, in which the young men did the same to the women. Some years they swapped the Monday chase for the Tuesday chase.
History records that Kings Edward I and II were both caught in bed on Hock Monday by their Queens’ ladies. Whatever the Church officially thought of celebrating the salvation of the world by tying people up in bed, it seems to have remained relatively discreet on the subject, or maybe the donations bought the Church’s discretion!
The modern celebration at Hungerford is begun by a watercress supper at the John o’ Gaunt Inn, John Gaunt, (brother to Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince), being its patron and where his wonderful horn, the town’s most treasured possession, is still kept.
The supper consists of black broth, Welsh rarebit, macaroni, and salad, with bowls of punch. Next morning the town crier blows the horn, and the Hocktide court assembles. The jury is sworn, the names of freemen called, and officials elected. The tything or tutti men receive from the constable a pole on the top of which is a tutti or posy. They then go round the town collecting pennies from the men and kisses from the women. Of course there is a lot of “fun,” and women make themselves scarce. The crier, poor fellow, is only allowed to collect pennies: kisses are forbidden fruit. When this part of the celebration is over, the Constable (who is chief ruler of the town) gives a luncheon and then holds the Sandon Fee Court for regulating cattle feeding on the Marsh. After another dinner, court leet is held. “Then comes the Constable’s banquet, at which his worship sits beneath the famous John o’ Gaunt’s horn, suspended from the two tutti poles, and the principal feature of which is a toast, ‘To the memory of John o’ Gaunt.’ This is drunk in solemn silence as the clock strikes the midnight hour.” And Hocktide is over.
The John of Gaunt Horn, which is supposed to have been made to guarantee the inherited rights a charter granting generous rights and privileges to the residents of Hungerford. On one side of the horn is the word Actel (or Astel) on the other along with the crescent and star, which is now recognisable as the badge of the town. The horn dates back to the fifteenth century (John died in 1399), and what is known, is that for some two hundred years (1365 -1565), Hungerford enjoyed John of Gaunt Privileges with the profits of markets and fairs as well as the free fishery being a right.
THE CANTERBURY TALES – A MUST READ FOR EVERY KNIGHT!
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories as told by participants in a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury, Kent.
The 30 pilgrims who undertake the journey gather at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, across the Thames from London city. They agree to engage in a storytelling contest as they travel, and Harry Bailly, host of the Tabard, serves as master of ceremonies for the contest.
Most of the pilgrims are introduced by vivid brief sketches in the “General Prologue.” Interspersed between the 24 tales are short dramatic scenes (called links) presenting lively exchanges, usually involving the host and one or more of the pilgrims. Chaucer did not complete the full plan for his book: the return journey from Canterbury is not included, and some of the pilgrims do not tell stories. The prize for the best tale was a meal at the Tabard Inn upon return.
The Canterbury Tales consists of the General Prologue, The Knight’s Tale, The Miller’s Tale, The Reeve’s Tale, The Cook’s Tale, The Man of Law’s Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, The Friar’s Tale, The Summoner’s Tale, The Clerk’s Tale, The Merchant’s Tale, The Squire’s Tale, The Franklin’s Tale, The Second Nun’s Tale, The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale, The Physician’s Tale, The Pardoner’s Tale, The Shipman’s Tale, The Prioress’s Tale, The Tale of Sir Thopas, The Tale of Melibeus (in prose), The Monk’s Tale, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, The Manciple’s Tale, and The Parson’s Tale (in prose), and ends with “Chaucer’s Retraction.” Not all the tales are complete; several contain their own prologues or epilogues.
Five of these tales are described in our Facebook posts for the week Monday, March 4th. You might be of the thought that, for example, The Friar’s Tale is about a friar, or ‘The Miller’s Tale’ is about a miller, but it’s not. The Miller’s Tale is about a carpenter. In fact, part of the humour Chaucer creates to have one person tell a tale on another, for example, The Friar’s Tale is about a summoner and in retaliation, the summoner tells an unflattering tale about a friar. However, in complete contrast, The Nun’s Priest’s tale is related allegorically using barnyard animals.
The moral values in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales originate mainly from the lessons found in the stories each character tells.
(Warning – Possible spoilers if you have not read any of the tales)
:
- Lust & Love: Many of the tales depict men who act foolishly while lusting after beautiful women. However, the moral seems to be that lust only leads to trouble. Characters are advised not to seduce other men’s wives or daughters. For instance, in the Merchant’s Tale, we learn about May, a young and beautiful woman who lusts after a man who is not her husband. Although lust doesn’t always result in punishment, it is generally looked down upon in the story.
- Love Conquers All, But Life is Short: The theme of love is prevalent throughout the tales. Despite obstacles and opposition, characters like Custance and Alla in the Man of Law’s Tale find love. However, the tales also emphasize that life is fleeting, as Alla eventually dies. So, while love conquers, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a long life.
- Religion: The tales touch on religious themes, including faith, piety, and the consequences of sin. Characters grapple with their beliefs and actions, providing insights into the complexities of religious life during Chaucer’s time.
- Honor & Honesty: Several stories underscore the importance of honesty, integrity, and upholding moral values. Characters who act honourably are often rewarded, while deceitful behaviour leads to negative outcomes.
- Generosity & Charity: Chaucer’s tales also highlight the virtues of generosity and charity. Characters who exhibit kindness and selflessness are portrayed positively.
The Canterbury Tales offers a rich tapestry of human experiences, showcasing both virtues and vices. Its timeless lessons continue to resonate with readers across centuries.
Nestled down an ancient side street close to London Bridge Train Station is the site of the Tabard Inn. This historic coaching inn was originally established around 1300 and was one of a series that lined the old Roman route between London Bridge, Canterbury and Dover.
The Talbot Inn thrived for the next 150 years, although the arrival of the railways in the mid-1800’s led to a dramatic decline in the amount of passing trade. As such, the Tabard Inn (now known as the Talbot) fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished in 1873.
Catherine A Wilson co-writes with Catherine T Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true-life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and in 2019, The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award.
The Lily and the Lion – 1st Place Chanticleer Chatelaine Award – 2014
The Order of the Lily – 1st Place Chanticleer Chatelaine Award – 2015
The Gilded Crown – 1st Place Chanticleer Chaucer Award – 2016
The Traitor’s Noose – Grand Prize WINNER Chanticleer Chaucer Award – 2017
Lions and Lilies 