For the well-to-do, medieval meals were made of several courses. Displaying extravagance was very important to show others how well off you were. The main course was usually a very elaborate dish. Appetizers were often served between courses or at the end of a meal.
Appetizers could be sweet or savory. Meatballs were popular. They could be served in normal 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.
Medieval appetizers were also very popular at tourneys and hunting parties. Each lady would have her tent set up for her comfort and convenience. She would have finger foods prepared by her cook to serve to those friends who dropped by. Again, the primary reason was to impress them with their extravagant nature, not really to feed her visitors. Using imported cheeses, wines and spices made her look good in front of all her contemporaries.
Diners were expected 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 important people 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 between courses as an appetizer for the next course. While this recipe 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; approximately 15 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the broth and set them in a serving dish.
Using a separate pan, mix the almond milk, rice flour, sugar, and mace. Bring the mixture 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.
