According to Middle-Ages.Org.Uk Website, the following spices and enhancers were known:
- Pepper
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Saffron
- Cardamon/Cardamom
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Mace
- Anise
- Caraway
- Mustard
- Salt
Research - Medieval Foods - Spices
To understand cooking in historic periods, you have to learn what fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices were available either in the gardens/fields or by trade. After the Crusades, trade had spread throughout Europe, the Middle East and even to Asia and India, so exotic spices were available - to the rich, of course.
According to Middle-Ages.Org.Uk Website, the following spices and enhancers were known:
According to Middle-Ages.Org.Uk Website, the following spices and enhancers were known:
Research - Medieval Foods - Cooking and Dining - Intro
On my never-ending quest to learn more about the Medieval period, I have stumbled on several really great books and websites about Medieval cooking and dining.Of course, the types of food varied with region (although traders brought "exotic" food from other areas/countries) and the wealth of the diner. The wealthier nobles ate richer, more varied foods than peasants and they could afford spices and better ingredients.
Spices also had another function - to preserve foods since they lacked sophisticated storage methods. And since spices were so valuable, they had to be locked up. Along the line of spices, royal establishments had a "spicery" who oversaw the quantity of spices used in cooking (to be sure people weren't overusing or stealing). Spices of this period included cinnamon, mace, cloves, pepper, ginger, nutmegs, and caraways.
Books of interest:
Dover - Free Sample Friday - Medieval Ornament and Design
Today Dover books has a nice collection of free samples from their book, Medieval Ornament and Design by Jules Gailhabaud, featuring archectural and artistic designs. Only four sample pages are presented and larger samples so you can see some amazing details.
Click here
Click here
Roman Britian - The Initial Invasion
This month I want to delve into some research on the invasion of Romans in Britannia and how they expanded their empire and their rule there. Then, finally, how and why they left. Should be interesting...especially with a few pictures of scantily clad Romans!
The British Isle was under frequent attack from various Barbarians, Vikings, and Romans. The most notable Roman attacks actually began around 55 BC with Emperor Julius Caesar. Typically, cities and countries that were threatened by the Romans would pay a tribute (tax) in order to avoid actual war, especially when the locals knew they could not defeat their enemy. Rome had better military tactics, a larger army, and better weapons, which is why they were able to expand so far.
August 26, 55 BC - Julius Caesar approached the Dover Channel with 2 legions of fighters (about 10,000 men) with the intention of quickly defeating the "barbarian" peoples and adding Britain to the Empire (and thus increasing his grandeur). However, it would not be an easy battle. The British Celts had been alerted and were ready to battle. Caesar's back-up calvary got caught in a storm and were forced to return to Gaul (modern-day France), leaving Caesar in a precarious situation. After some minor skirmishes and additional fleet damage by storms, Caesar admitted defeat and returned home.
The next year, he attempted the campaign again but with a much larger army (5 legions) and a fleet of 800 ships. On July 6th, they landed at Deal. On July 8th, the Celts retreated to a hill fort at Bigbury where the romans built a ramp and captured the fort. Unfortunately, another storm hit the Roman fleet and forced the legions back to the beach to repair their ships. In the mean time, the Celts appointed Cassivellaunus as their chief who eventually surrendered to Caesar when their attacks failed. They agreed to pay a tribute, ending the campaign. In September the Romans left Britain.
Book Resources:
Web Resources:
Wikipedia - Roman Conquest of Britain
Excellent Timeline
Interesting story about Julius Caesar
For Fun - The Most Expensive Castles in the World
I just love drooling over these amazing properties that I could never in a million years afford...but it's nice to look...
These are the world's most expensive castles for sale. If you have a few million dollars, feel free to sign up! For those of us a little lower on the totem pole, let's just take a peak...
RatesToGo - The World's Most Expensive Castles for Sale - Part I
RatesToGo - The World's Most Expensive Castles for Sale - Part II
These are the world's most expensive castles for sale. If you have a few million dollars, feel free to sign up! For those of us a little lower on the totem pole, let's just take a peak...
RatesToGo - The World's Most Expensive Castles for Sale - Part I
RatesToGo - The World's Most Expensive Castles for Sale - Part II
For Fun - Castles for Sale Around the World
Ok, I hooked you on the first posting of Castles for Sale...so just being curious, I did a search for castles for sale and found a bunch of interesting sites. It's hard to believe so many wonderful castles are available for sale. If only I had a few million dollars...I could be living in a nice castle right now...
Anyway, back to reality...
Medievalists - a neat blog with listings (a little outdated now) but still worth looking at for inspiration.
AOL's Real Estate Pages - Castle Gallery
Castle Magic - castle builders (for those who dream big!)
Forbes - an outdated listing but worth looking through
Anyway, back to reality...
Medievalists - a neat blog with listings (a little outdated now) but still worth looking at for inspiration.
AOL's Real Estate Pages - Castle Gallery
Castle Magic - castle builders (for those who dream big!)
Forbes - an outdated listing but worth looking through
For Fun - Castles for Sale in America
Have a few million dollars lying around? Love the thought of living in a real castle complete with turrets and your own royal suite? You're in luck...check out these properties custom built to look like castles right here in America.
Feel free to drool...
Property Listings for a few castles
Properties Listings by State and also a few listings for canada.
HubPages with a few property listings and gorgeous pictures of the interiors.
Holy Turrets - properties for sale
Feel free to drool...
Property Listings for a few castles
Properties Listings by State and also a few listings for canada.
HubPages with a few property listings and gorgeous pictures of the interiors.
Holy Turrets - properties for sale
Research - Holidays/Festivals - Candlemas (Feb 2)
Candlemas:
Candlemas, a holiday that originated in the 4th century, was celebrated 40 days after Christmas (or Epiphany) - on February 2nd. On this day were big feasts and the church candles were blessed for the coming year (thus the name, Candlemas). People burned holiday greenery (leftover yule logs, etc) so the ashes could be used as fertilizer for the prepping of the fields. The burning of greenery and candles was symbolic of the coming light of Spring and regrowth/rebirth. The holiday also marked the start of the plowing of fields.
According to Churchyear.net,
"Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind "Groundhog's Day," which falls on Candlemas Day."
For more info:
How Candlemas was celebrated in the Middle Ages
When Christians disposed of trees and holiday greenery
Candlemas, a holiday that originated in the 4th century, was celebrated 40 days after Christmas (or Epiphany) - on February 2nd. On this day were big feasts and the church candles were blessed for the coming year (thus the name, Candlemas). People burned holiday greenery (leftover yule logs, etc) so the ashes could be used as fertilizer for the prepping of the fields. The burning of greenery and candles was symbolic of the coming light of Spring and regrowth/rebirth. The holiday also marked the start of the plowing of fields.
According to Churchyear.net,
"Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind "Groundhog's Day," which falls on Candlemas Day."
For more info:
How Candlemas was celebrated in the Middle Ages
When Christians disposed of trees and holiday greenery
Celtic Music Guide
There's nothing more fun that sitting in a quaint pub drinking Guinness and listening to some Celtic music.
This easy-to-navigate, simple site from Ceolas offers a nice list of concerts, events for enjoying Celtic music by region.
Click here for North American listing:
Ceolas.Org
They also offer Ireland, Europe and other locations.
This easy-to-navigate, simple site from Ceolas offers a nice list of concerts, events for enjoying Celtic music by region.
Click here for North American listing:
Ceolas.Org
They also offer Ireland, Europe and other locations.
Winter Blues - Everything is Frozen
Snow storms have swept across this country the past week, which aren't too unusual for winter. But what is unusual are the ice and snow storms in normally warmer areas, such as southern Texas anbd Arizona. Even in Dallas we saw a week of below-freezing temperatures.
Amazingly, the last time Dallas experienced record cold temperatures was back in 1996 when it was only 8 degrees. Yuk!
Acording to the Dallas Weather Examiner, the record temperatures that have been reported are as follows:
FEBRUARY 2: 7 (1985)
FEBRUARY 3: 14 (1996, 1985, 1905)
FEBRUARY 4: 8 (1996)
Ever seen a frozen waterfall? Here's a picture of my pool's waterfall:
Here are some other frozen fountains I found on the internet. Beautiful!
Amazingly, the last time Dallas experienced record cold temperatures was back in 1996 when it was only 8 degrees. Yuk!
Acording to the Dallas Weather Examiner, the record temperatures that have been reported are as follows:
FEBRUARY 2: 7 (1985)
FEBRUARY 3: 14 (1996, 1985, 1905)
FEBRUARY 4: 8 (1996)
Ever seen a frozen waterfall? Here's a picture of my pool's waterfall:
Here are some other frozen fountains I found on the internet. Beautiful!
For Writers - Book - Getting the Words Right
Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit and Revise" by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
is a wonderful guide on frequently misused words and she tells us which ones to use depending on the meaning the author wishes to convey. Unpublished authors frequently use the wrong word because we use those words in everyday speech (such as nauseous).
Some examples on words that are misused include:
- anxious (with anxiety) vs eager
- bring (toward speaker) vs take
- continual (always going on with discernible intervals) vs continuous (without intervals)
- disinterested vs uninterested (lack of interest)
- enthuse is not a real word
- envy (discontented and want what someone else has) vs jealous (fear of rivalry)
- farther (distances you could imagine measuring) vs further (hard to measure)
- nauseous (making others feel nausea and creating their desire to vomit) vs nauseated (to feel nausea)
- utilize (make do with something not normally used for that purpose)
- whether (consideration of alternatives) vs if (setting up a condition of the future)
This is a wonderful guidebook for authors to clean up and improve their writing.
Also, check out WordDoctors.com
How Fedualism Worked
How Fedualism Worked:
A country's king divided all the land into portions, each called a "fief".
The King granted these fiefs to those who swore loyalty and service (Oath of Fealty) to him. He granted land to both barons and vassals (or knights) in exchange for services and taxes. The barons and vassals swore an Oath of Fealty to the king in exchange for land. So, when the king wanted to go to war or defend his country, he could call upon these barons and vassals to build up his army.
The barons also had the option of paying fines or hiring military men or professional knights to assist the king in their place. The number of soldiers sent in was directly proportional to the amount of land that the baron oversaw (ie, the larger the fief the more soldiers required).
Peasants and serfs lived in the fiefdom and worked for the overlord. A certain amount of product the serf grew or made was owed to the overlord in return for living on this land and for the overlord's protection. In harsh times, if the serf was not able to make enough surplus, his family would starve. In addition, the peasants were heavily taxed by the overlords (who in turn owed tax to the king).
For more information:
Middle-Ages.Org.Uk
Spartacus.Schoolnet.Co.Uk - a nice overview starting with William the Conqueror
Knighthood and Chivalry in War and Peacetime Article
The Feudal System
Interactive Learner
Norman Social Organization and Feudalism
A country's king divided all the land into portions, each called a "fief".
The King granted these fiefs to those who swore loyalty and service (Oath of Fealty) to him. He granted land to both barons and vassals (or knights) in exchange for services and taxes. The barons and vassals swore an Oath of Fealty to the king in exchange for land. So, when the king wanted to go to war or defend his country, he could call upon these barons and vassals to build up his army.
The barons also had the option of paying fines or hiring military men or professional knights to assist the king in their place. The number of soldiers sent in was directly proportional to the amount of land that the baron oversaw (ie, the larger the fief the more soldiers required).
Peasants and serfs lived in the fiefdom and worked for the overlord. A certain amount of product the serf grew or made was owed to the overlord in return for living on this land and for the overlord's protection. In harsh times, if the serf was not able to make enough surplus, his family would starve. In addition, the peasants were heavily taxed by the overlords (who in turn owed tax to the king).
For more information:
Middle-Ages.Org.Uk
Spartacus.Schoolnet.Co.Uk - a nice overview starting with William the Conqueror
Knighthood and Chivalry in War and Peacetime Article
The Feudal System
Interactive Learner
Norman Social Organization and Feudalism
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