Passing through the countryside, seeing large fields of wheat, oats and barley, I am often reminded that the arrival of the Anglo-Normans transformed many aspects of agriculture and food in medieval Ireland.

Living in an area where the Anglo-Normans left their mark has made me curious about the food they ate and the way they managed their estates.

For me, the story of the Anglo-Normans isn’t just about castles and conquest. It is also about food. Their estates, with orchards, deer parks, dovecotes, rabbit warrens and fish ponds, changed how food was produced and managed, leaving a lasting mark on medieval Ireland.

What fascinates me is their use of black pepper, fresh herbs, mustard and imported spices. These ingredients added new flavours to the medieval table and influenced cooking in Ireland for centuries.

Of course, these changes were not seen in every part of Ireland. They were most evident on Anglo-Norman estates and in the towns under their influence, like areas of Wexford, Dublin, Kilkenny. As I journey in Ireland the landscape still holds clues of who once farmed and managed it.

The next time you sit down to roast chicken with mustard, fresh bread, a green herb sauce with fish or meat, or enjoy the sweetness of pears and cherries, spare a thought for the Anglo-Normans. Their influence helped shape many of the flavours that became part of medieval Ireland.

The flavours of the Anglo-Norman kitchen ranged from subtle to sharp, spicy and hot. Think of the warmth of black pepper and mustard, balanced by the sharpness of verjuice and wine. In Ireland, where verjuice was not always available, sour crab apples and sloes may have provided similar acidity. Fresh herbs and leafy greens, used in sauce verte (green sauce), added not only colour but also freshness, helping to balance both flavour and, according to medieval medical belief, the hot and cold humours.

Of course, bread was at the heart of the Anglo-Norman table. New watermills and windmills, improved milling, ovens and the spread of the three-field system helped increase agricultural productivity in many parts of the country. As towns grew, professional bakers supplied fresh bread from communal ovens, while the elite and many monastic communities maintained their own bakehouses and oven

The Anglo-Norman table saw the growing popularity of rabbit and capon (a castrated male chicken), while the establishment of deer parks provided a regular supply of venison for the elite. Fish ponds, already used by some monastic communities, became increasingly common on Anglo-Norman estates, helping to provide a dependable source of fresh fish throughout the year. Dovecotes supplied pigeons and squabs, particularly during the winter months, and became a familiar feature..

I have always been fascinated by dovecotes. Like the monasteries before them, the Anglo-Normans recognised their value as part of a well-managed estate, providing an important source of fresh meat as well as manure for the fields.

To understand medieval Irish food, it is useful to compare what came before and after the arrival of the Anglo-Normans. Together with the Hiberno-Norse and the new monastic orders, they helped shape a changing food culture, introducing new ideas in farming, estate management and cookery while building on many existing Irish traditions

A Suggested Anglo-Norman Menu

Inspired by the foods, flavours and ingredients discussed above, a simple Anglo-Norman meal might include:

• Roast Chicken with Mustard Sauce
• Roasted Mackerel ( fish of choice) with Green Herb Sauce (Sauce Verte)
• Fresh Bread with Herb Butter parsley sage rosemary
• Peas with Butter and Fresh Herbs
• Barley pottage with herbs and greens
• Pears and Cherries with Honey and wine(optional) use grape juice with dash of wine vinegar for non alcohol

A menu, now to be experimented with , in my kitchen on a SUNDAY MORNING or on outdoor fire pit, but that another story for another day.

Reference and further reading

Kelly, F. Early Irish Farming. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1997.

Lydon, J. The Lordship of Ireland in the Middle Ages. Four Courts Press.

O’Conor, K. The Archaeology of Medieval Rural Settlement in Ireland.

Food and cookery

• Scully, T. The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages.
• The Forme of Cury (14th century).
• Le Viandier de Taillevent.

Nenagh Castle OPW

To be honest I have never eaten salted beef dish, but intend to, but am actually more interested in whether it was eaten in Ireland in medieval times.

Yes it was because the story of Aislinne Meic Coinne Glinne mentions two types of salted meet one which is bacon and the other beef as per the CELT digital translation

Cheese-curds, my daughter,
Goes round the spit,
Fair is her fame.
Corned Beef, my son,
Whose mantle shines
Over a big tail.

So salted beef and corned beef is one and the same, preservation through salt called for a degree of wealth, organisation and the means,monasteries, chiefs and lords had the means, the salt, the know how and the wealth to either make or purchase salt to preserve the meat or beef for preservation and use at a later time. The writing down about salted or corned beef in the 11th/12 th century presenting firsthand the skill of preservation with salt, for two different types of meat. This continued throughout the Irish ages as salted/ corned beef became one of the main exports of Ireland through the centuries.

“beef was most frequently consumed salted, prepared in the same manner as salted bacon.”

(Sexton, A Little History of Irish Food, p. 29)

“Indeed, corned or salted beef was to emerge as one of the country’s largest export products by the end of the seventeenth century.”

(Sexton, p. 29)

Corned beef or salted beef has been mentioned in 11th 12 th century above story, so it can be considered a food that was eaten by some, a form of preservation of a Winter food in medieval times, an known way of preserving food. Salt was expensive but the burning of seaweed gave salt ash. English salt was mentioned in the above legend as is all kinds of salted bacon.

Preservation of meat, dairy, fish was necessary alongside the storage of cereal and honey.

Maybe it was an animal butchered for the winter months leading one to presume it was more wealthy family or it was part of rent/tithe.

It’s getting near the shortest day of the year when I started this, Christmas and now New year is upon us, meats that we see seasonally appear in the butchers such as spiced beef, salted beef/ corned beef. The debate is salted beef or corned beef an Irish food, around in medieval times, or is it just something the Irish ate in America because they could not get salted pork .

After re reading my two books based on Aisling Meic Con Glinne came across the word bóshaill(e) not by accident, tucked into the flow of Aislinge Meic Con Glinne where food is listed not as spectacle but as sustenance. It’s a simple functional word when you break it apart — bó, a cow, and sa(i)ll, salt — and it names something quietly practical: beef kept with salt so it would last. I like how unremarkable it is. (Kenneth, Hurlstone,Jackson, 1990.150),flourish, no praise. Just a recognition that food had to be made to endure. In a world without certainty, salt offered a small assurance — that what was gathered or slaughtered would still be there when it was needed. The word feels less like a dish and more like a habit, a culture, a shared understanding carried in language, the spoken word, the skill carried from generation to generation as ordinary and essential as the keeping of food for Winter sustenance.

But yes corned or salted beef had its place in Irish food through the Irish ages. It’s mentioned three times on lines 486, 733 & 979 according to the glossary as identified by Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson.

Meat preserved is regarded as a Winter food, so making it an ideal food to be served in modern times at Christmas and on Saint Patrick’s day in March.

So definitely a food for the Irish ages, so if you sat down to smoked salmon or smoked ham this Christmas. They too are preserved, but that a different story for another day.

References include

Jackson, K.H. (ed.) (1990) Aislinge Meic Con Glinne. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Meyer, K. (1892) Aislinge Meic Con Glinne: The Vision of MacConglinne, A Middle-Irish Wonder Tale. London: David Nutt. Scholar Select.

Kelly, F. (1997) Early Irish Farming. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Sexton, R. (2017) A Little History of Irish Food. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.

I must begin with Mushrooms can be very poisonous, so do not use this page as an identification

Yesterday I had the privilege of taking myself and family member to forage for Mushrooms with wild food Mary,

Now I am not a mushroom eater but have spent Summers in my childhood picking field mushrooms with my neighbours and friends from my village, Early morning, much laughter and a trail of children picking mushrooms in fields and hills beyond. Then we returned to next door where the mushrooms were placed directly on the range with a little sprinkle of salt and still warm soda brown bread, a breakfast of kings. the extra mushrooms were made into a ketchup.

But growing up , we were not allowed to pick mushrooms beyond our return to school, so yesterday was eye opener.

There are over 3000 types of mushrooms, yesterday we follow a deep forest pathway with many mushrooms

From the deadly mushrooms to not so nice to the edible mushrooms

I saw mushroooms yesterday I thought only existed in fairytales, but I understand having followed Mary why there so much superstitious naturally through the Irish ages about mushrooms, there are a lot more poisonous or inedible than there were edibles. The edibles even have very similar looking poisonous look alikes so knowing your mushrooms is so important.

The joy of seeing the circlez of mushrooms, yes followed the whole circle around to see. We were always told not to step into the circle or break the circle, laughing in my head I picked some without breaking the circle just in case I might have bad luck. To be honest I found the whole experience breathtaking.

So my advice is pick one mushroom, get knowledgeable person to identify or and go on a mushroom foraging day, with a professional

The professional are not expected to know all the mushrooms, just the ones that can be identified to eat.

But it takes much practice and much knowledge to identify edibles

See the circle above, beware a lot of mushrooms grow in a circle,format or straight line both edible and poisonous

So underneath the brittlegill has wide cream solid leathery gills,

The mushroom is brittle when broken off the cap or stalk however it has a highly deadly look a like see first picture, just remember some mushrooms you will only eat once

The point of my day was seeing mushrooms so picking them did not come into it

Please do not pick mushrooms based on the information here, mushrooms can be one of the most deadliest poison

I will finish with a little find, I had heard about the spindle tree with beautiful berries which are poisonous but never seen one, yesterday I saw a spindle tree, a number of then, but that another story for another day

The spindle tree

At the moment echoes of the past ages about Ireland, food, plants, animals etc deems that there are bundles of books gathered in bunches to apply to different projects or echoes.

Food looking at the moment moves between monasteries, Vikings, Normans and of course the Irish,

Maybe more so because I am proud owner of The Annals of the four masters

My collection grows and my library is interesting, in essence a little bit of visiting slieve blooms, graveyards and connecting dots of the family tree my brother partner is working on.

So lot of connecting with those gone by, have absorbed a lot of information from childhood which means I have an idea of ancient generations that are gone.

Food wise Viking food was to the fore but the monastery foods have taken over. Analanns and tarsunns are as interesting, making oatcakes, runny pancakes, visiting places of my people all inter connect through the ages.

I look forwards to sitting with books and uncovering Irelands ages.

Identifying feast menus, foraging and researching who ate what, how the plants and fruits are used. I will finish now as off to buy mustard seeds, but that’s another story for another day

In the last few days regarding early Irish food and spices such as Ginger availability in 9 th Century Ireland . Ireland an island on the edge of Europe was influenced by invaders in different time periods from the beginning of settlement in Ireland .As part of the ocean and sea motorway trade has been occurring from time man has settled and lived on the island

A 2000 year old fig has been found near Dublin.

Pottery alone tells lots of stories of trade

Glass beads, stones, jewels and bone tells its own story,

Butchered bones, burnt cereals and seeds help to identify food through the Irish ages

Our beautiful manuscripts which tell myths and legends from time gone by

The movement of our Saints and scholars through continental Europe provide insight into everyday lives and travels

Connecting the pottery that olive oil and wines travel is a help to extend the route of other exotic fruits and spices possibly coming to Ireland like amphora pottery

Ginger is mentioned in accounts roll

Amphora shards of Greek pottery from late 5 th to sixth century as in chapter four of this book, this one shard can prove that oil or wine was imported into Stalleen Co Meath

This one shard of amphora is important as it shows that other exotic foods and spices could have possibly reached Ireland dating from the mid 5 th and 6 th Century.

Unfortunately there is no archaeological evidence for exotic imports but it is a starting point like the 2000 year old fig

As always we come back to the laws and legal material, Fergus Kelly Early Irish Farming

Every time, I browse this book I learn ten new things or have more questions that need answering.

So today’s browsing also includes

I love the Roscarberry story with a Bishop and ransom of spices

So simple questions can become a labour of love, finding evidence , connecting the dots making plausible possible as the books above testify to.

My answer includes

Piment is mentioned in account roll of the priory Dublin 1337 to 1346
This is a drink made from wine honey ginger cloves and spices, this note on pg. 1 83 is from a mr Gilbert Red Book of Ossory pg 183
Zinciber, Sinnser, ginger an Irish material medica of 1415 by Tadhg o Cuinn see CELT digital
Consumption of ginger 1574 Dublin castle purchased every month from February to December
Paper food and power 16 th century ireland Dublin castle purchased every by Charlie Turner and Susan flavin
6 th July 1592 Ship Mary of Waterford transporting 160 Ibs of green ginger
A barrel of ginger 1592
A calendar of material relating to Ireland from the high courts by Appleby J C
Ginger fines in my books and papers
Recipes are scarce but proof of trade and ginger on the island can be then compared to recipes available to east of us as in Britain and France
Reminder that Anglo Norman’s/ Anglo Saxon
Monastic uses, manuscripts for cooking, food and spices use to show political power etc
Trade and ship logs

Not always answering the question but providing a starting point, whether working forwards or backwards.

The ability to try answer questions is a way of furthering my own knowledge and the knowledge of others. It is a partnership of story telling .

So asking a question ignites research

Replying checks what I actually know about food through the Irish ages

A new question provides a new story to be told for another day

This week, book of interest, is the Annals of Connacht dealing with moments in time from the 13 th century to the 16 th of century. Why works in the SCA /reenactment on many fronts. If you want an Irish persona, Gaelic, the Annals are proper place to start simply to prove the first name/ surname existed in a time and place in a specific time and place. It provides the information to say the name occurred durning a certain year with that specific spelling. Fortunately many of the Annals occur digitally, the Celt site for example. Sometimes people want to choose a place as part of their name, so the Annals can provide the information you require. The Annals of Connaught has both index of personal names and place names. My excitement even owning a book with Annals in it is huge, why you may ask, it’s people in medieval times recording historical events. The subject areas are wide ranging, definitely something for everyone. I acknowledge that some information is not always correct but like any story repeated or written down through the Irish ages they are dependent on the scribes who recorded the information originally. It’s definitely a pick me up, open an random page and make new discoveries.

This week coffee table book, Agriculture and settlement in Ireland is already taking me down a few rabbit holes, the introduction itself talks about a rural society, Brehon laws , the effect the churches and monasteries had on ireland agriculture. Also the Vikings and Anglo Normans are covered, enough to excite not to mention the phrase dispersed settlement patterns , trades in 16 th century, in essence a lot of subsections of my own personal reading library at home. So trick to building a library is finding a fact that really interest you, find the reference and this is your next book. The reasons why things were this way shows a living society, hierarchical and conquests, church, land, farmer, invader, settler, it really doesn’t matter. My interest is food, but I can’t know about food if I do not understand the agricultural practices of the Irish ages, This book by Murphy and Stout is a good beginning.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that, trying out the recipe, still trying out recipes with the view that it can be referenced in Ireland whether it’s Gaelic , Anglo Norman in Ireland, Vikings, Ecclesiastical, within the Pale of Dublin, food as political statement etc, so much interesting stuff to read and digest.

This month focus has been on The Trinity priory as need food for event which my group is hosting in November, so my job is food for Travellers faire, breakfast x 2 , food for people in the field and a lunch. Lunch is based on the Trinity priory serving capon/ chicken with some sauces, a pepper sauce and mustard sauce, served with bread , butter, greens that are growing in the garden which are leeks and kale, onions , fruit that in season apples, plums and pears some walnuts.

As the event is in November and outside a little bit of sweet is called for, so stale white bread crumbs versus fresh breadcrumbs with a good honey, some ginger and ground long black pepper is called for , the experiment is to see which medieval gingerbread works best and holds longer. Have used the stale bread one so far, and the oven at low heat to make the bread suitably stale

As lady who bakes lots of medieval biscuits, gingerbread may seem easy, the fun however is finding the right quantity of spice, tasting the difference in honey in this case a local bee keeper, different years so different taste and colour , can you see the different colours there is a darker and lighter coloured gingerbread. Mouthful or tibit sized as they pack a pungent kick.Using fresh versus stale breadcrumbs, different spices and peppers.

For the people who are gluten intolerant I swapped the breadcrumbs for almond flour and placed them in a low heat oven for ten minutes

Tonight I will soak mustard seeds in a vinegar overnight in a jar as I must learn how to make mustard and it must have enough time to age as well.

More seasoning helped with addition of more garlic, but look at its colour when blended, the saffron did its magic.

So cooking for feast, breakfast, lunch does not happen overnight, it takes, research, experiments, finding dishes to cook, based in a place, a time and is medieval, historical accurate , tasting, finding ingredients, talking to other cooks, organising a menu, making a shopping list, helping each other, seeking advice, etc, the list is endless. My friend Kier is cooking feast and he doing all of the above too.

The event is a Coronet set in the beautiful landscape of Cong county Mayo, we all help to cook the meals based on a menu devised by one or two of our members, in this case myself as head cook and Kie

https://insulaedraconis.org/events/#/insulae-draconis-eplaheimr/2023-11-17/insulae-draconis-coronet-tourney

My interest in food in Ireland came about because I joined a local SCA group of Eplaheimr at that time situated in the middle of Ireland, from a comment by visiting people, what does medieval Irish food taste like developed a whole new world, whole new interest and many topics and books later, I find it so fascinating, my library and new research, waiting for books and reports to be published so I can have more information on which to base my food on whether it food during Viking times, monastic farming or 16 th century Ireland, but that another story for another day…

One asks what fish, foraging and greens have in common. In my case it’s experimental archaeology for cooking, making sure ingredients work well together,

In the hedgerows it is the season of greens, wild garlic, Alexander’s and jack o mustard as we call it around here.

Even if I am sure of a plant my friend Alison gets a picture of whole plants and enlarge section of leaves and flowers even after I have checked the books, as she is expert in such matters and I am making sure I don’t kill myself or anyone else

So we are now in May, and in medieval times, the rents may have been paid at Easter or about to be paid and the food store is dwindling.

All these work well, a bit like spinach, wilted on the pan in a little butter or quickly steamed. So today I have bought salmon and trout, not a lover of trout but today I changed my mind. We know the shoots maybe stronger now but any extra foods could use to make pottages, soups and stews , in my case I tried the Alexander plant by peeling the smaller shoots, and cooking the leaves and shoots in a little butter on the pan,

All the greens mentioned above are growing as the trout season arrives.

So lately I have used wild garlic, sorrel, todays use of Alexander’s,samphire and courgette using butter as the frying option, having a list of greens works well to serve with fish.

Salmon depending on its type will return to the rivers throughout the year to spawn, hence all the archaeological fish weirs, fish ponds in medieval times, there were a lot of laws concerning who had the rights to fish certain waters, who they were owned by, from Gaelic lords, lords of the lands, ecclesiastical etc, so not much has changed in the inland waters log Ireland or around our coasts in the modern world today.

All the above work well.

I cheated a bit today, as I served it with white soda bread smothered in butter, the soda bread was a present from Mary Clarke my mother in law who makes the best soda bread whether it’s brown or white, but that’s another story for another day

The food was all the nicer as I shared it with my friend Marina outside a 300 year old thatch cottage known locally as Ned’s cottage in Dromineer. It is her pottery studio and worth a visit, we both live in the fabulous part of the country where the lakes and rivers flow beautifully.

The taster plate was also served with salad leaves, use of a little apple cider vinegar works well to give different taste while cleansing the palette