Chinon is a word I had heard a long time ago in a history class but I wasn't listening too closely so never really took in its significance. Such is the ignorance of youth! Well, a good few years on and I am delighted to be able to say from first hand experience that Chinon is a fabulous place and well worth a visit.
Chinon Castle is of course the focal point of any visit to Chinon and a must-see for anyone travelling to or through the Loire Valley. When you walk in the grounds of the fortress you are literally walking in the footsteps of some of the greatest figures in European medieval history ....
King Henry II of England
Eleanor Of Aquitaine (Henry's wife)
Richard The Lionheart (their son)
King John I of England (Richard's brother)
Charles VII (Dauphin of France)
Joan Of Arc (who paid hommage to the Dauphin at Chinon)
Here is a superb audio/visual presentation of Chinon Castle in High Definition for those who haven't had the pleasure of visiting the place .... and even if you have been there, you'll still want to watch this. Wonderful imagery and music. A medieval history fan's dream!
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
March 7, 2012
February 6, 2010
Medieval Recipes
The phrase "Food For Thought" comes to mind with this post. Most of us enjoy food, some of us enjoying cooking it too but how many of us stop to think about the food we eat compared to that eaten by our ancestors?
Reading about medieval food brings home just how different the food was in the past. Our medieval ancestors in England certainly did not know what a tomato was or even a potato and they generally didn't drink water as readily as we do today for fear of bacterial infection. No, apparently they drank ale much of the time and many of them made their own ale.
When you think of meat, you might assume that our medieval ancestors ate chicken as readily as we do today ... but you would be wrong, because although many peasants kept chickens, they generally did not kill them because they needed the eggs and could not afford to replace their chickens.
It was the rich and powerful people of medieval times that ate a rich and varied diet for they had serfs working the land for them, cultivating crops and taking care of livestock. At medieval banquets they would eat swans, peacock and heron as well as beef, mutton, pork and venison and there were even medieval desserts to enjoy such as pears in red wine and custard tart.
Amongst the most fascinating reading is that about medieval herbs.
Reading about medieval food brings home just how different the food was in the past. Our medieval ancestors in England certainly did not know what a tomato was or even a potato and they generally didn't drink water as readily as we do today for fear of bacterial infection. No, apparently they drank ale much of the time and many of them made their own ale.
When you think of meat, you might assume that our medieval ancestors ate chicken as readily as we do today ... but you would be wrong, because although many peasants kept chickens, they generally did not kill them because they needed the eggs and could not afford to replace their chickens.
It was the rich and powerful people of medieval times that ate a rich and varied diet for they had serfs working the land for them, cultivating crops and taking care of livestock. At medieval banquets they would eat swans, peacock and heron as well as beef, mutton, pork and venison and there were even medieval desserts to enjoy such as pears in red wine and custard tart.
Amongst the most fascinating reading is that about medieval herbs.
Labels:
herbs,
history,
medieval food,
recipes
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