What Did Peasants Eat in Medieval Times?

[Mister D]

It's certainly possible - they were eating a higher protein diet. The barbarian hoards ate mostly meat and fish. Like athletes all know, a high protein diet provides better muscle regeneration and more metered energy levels.

Cereals were a staple of both the ancient Celts and the Germans. The Vikings of the Dark Ages were almost all farmers as well who grew cereal crops.

[Mister D]

I wonder whether the semi-starvation of peasants during the period of serfdom contributed to the shrinkage? Serfs were particularly deprived of good sources of protein. From an observational point of view, people from Hong Kong tend to be very small, however their children born in North America or Europe are much taller than their parents. People from mainland China are less uniform in size, with those coming from the North where the diet is higher in meat, tending to be taller.

I don't think so for several reasons. One of the takeaways here is that peasants weren't starving. They ate fairly well while fish and chicken eggs provided much needed sources of animal protein. You also have to consider the liturgical calendar. Meat was not eaten for almost a third of the year. That's partly why fish was in such high demand. Anyway, the real enemy for the Medieval peasant was famine principally through crop failure.

East Asians tend to be of smaller stature than other peoples including Europeans. Ancestral diet may be a major factor but again I think this there is probably a genetic basis for it at this point.

[Chris]

Famine was much what Malthus had in mind when he wrote about production not meeting population growth.

Famine seems to be the last, the most dreadful resource of nature. The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world.

— Thomas Malthus, 1798. An Essay on the Principle of Population

[Captdon]

Great thread.

[countryboy]

For the history buffs, I found this interesting.

Freakin cool. Thanks so much for that. I'll be checking that channel out.

[Chris]

Yes, the channel has lots of videos on knights and such during Medieval times. More on food, too, what did nobles eat, vassals, and so on.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMj...qPE9wBw/videos

[Dr. Who]

I don't think so for several reasons. One of the takeaways here is that peasants weren't starving. They ate fairly well while fish and chicken eggs provided much needed sources of animal protein. You also have to consider the liturgical calendar. Meat was not eaten for almost a third of the year. That's partly why fish was in such high demand. Anyway, the real enemy for the Medieval peasant was famine principally through crop failure.

East Asians tend to be of smaller stature than other peoples including Europeans. Ancestral diet may be a major factor but again I think this there is probably a genetic basis for it at this point.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...the-height-gap

[Common]

Ok someone explain this to me Italians when migrated here those italians were mostly ALL small in stature men and women alike. Growing up my grandmother was 5' my grandfather 5'5, my father a direct descendant was 5'10 my mothers parents were short and she wasnt much taller. Then came me direct bloodline im 6'2

Other italians growing up the same way, the only thing you can attribute to that is diet, a change in diet brought about a change in size. What else could you attribute it too

[Mister D]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...the-height-gap

Interesting stuff. I was also reading that American whites are actually taller than blacks on average. I was very surprised by that. It's government data.

[Dr. Who]

Interesting stuff. I was also reading that American whites are actually taller than blacks on average. I was very surprised by that. It's government data.

I think that diet is strongly implicated in human growth. Another interesting fact is that there seems to be a strong connection between the mini ice age that occurred between the 1300s and the mid 19th century and the famines, plagues, witch hunts and the rise in antisemitism in Europe. It may even have influenced the Protestant Reformation, since some people believed that all of the bad weather was as a result of God's displeasure with man, hence they became extremely modest socially and religiously very conservative. That period, which overlapped the years of serfdom, was also characterized by increasingly despotic regimes, no doubt because the shortage of food was driving imperialism and wars. It's really quite interesting all of the social changes (including dysfunctional behavior) that was wrought by deprivation. Unmarried woman were scapegoated as witches and Jews were blamed for disease.

Apparently, even a lack of iodine in your diet can cause you to be several inches shorter.