Page 218 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

The upper classes in Carolingian society enjoyed a much more varied diet than the peasants. Pork was the primary meat. Domestic pigs, allowed to run wild in the forests to find their own food, were collected and slaughtered in the fall, then smoked and salted to be eaten during the winter months. Because Carolingian aristocrats were especially fond of roasted meat, hunt- ing wild game became one of their favorite activities. They ate little beef and mutton, however, because cat- tle were kept as dairy cows and oxen to draw plows, and sheep were raised for wool.
Dairy products were also important in the Carolin- gian diet. Milk, which spoiled rapidly, was made into cheese and butter. Chickens were raised for their eggs. Vegetables also formed a crucial part of the diet of both the rich and the poor. These included legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, and roots, such as garlic, onions, and carrots.
Gluttony and drunkenness were vices shared by many people in Carolingian society. Monastic rations were greatly enlarged in the eighth century to include a daily allotment of 3.7 pounds of bread (nuns were permitted only 3 pounds), 1.5 quarts of wine or ale, 2 to 3 ounces of cheese, and 8 ounces of vegetables (4 for nuns). These rations totaled 6,000 calories a day, and since only heavy and fatty foods—bread, milk, and cheese—were considered nourishing, we begin to understand why some Carolingians were known for their potbellies.
Everyone in Carolingian society, including abbots and monks, drank heavily and often to excess. Taverns became a regular feature of life and were found every- where, and drinking contests were not unusual; one penitential stated, “Does drunken bravado encourage you to attempt to outdrink your friends? If so, thirty days’ fast.”
The aristocrats and monks favored wine above all other beverages, and much care was lavished on its production, especially by monasteries. Ale was espe- cially popular in the northern and eastern parts of the Carolingian world. Water was also drunk as a beverage, but much care had to be taken to obtain pure sources from wells or clear streams.
H E A L T H Medical practice in Carolingian times stressed the use of medicinal herbs and bleeding. Although the latter was practiced regularly, moderation was fre- quently recommended. Some advised carefulness as well: “Who dares to undertake a bleeding should see to it that his hand does not tremble.” Physicians were also available when people faced serious illnesses. Many
Bloodletting in Early Medieval Medicine. Bleeding was a regular part of medieval medical practice. It involved the withdrawing of blood from a person in the belief that doing so would bring balance to the body and thus heal a diseased condition. This fourteenth-century manuscript illustration shows a physician bleeding his patient with a cut in the arm. As the physician squeezes the arm, the blood spurts into a bowl; the patient seems to be quite anxious about the procedure.
were clerics, and monasteries trained their own. Mon- asteries kept medical manuscripts copied from ancient works and grew herbs to provide stocks of medicinal plants. Carolingian medical manuscripts contained descriptions of illnesses, recipes for medical potions, and even gynecological advice, although monks in par- ticular expended little effort on female medical needs.
Physicians of the early Middle Ages supplemented their medicines and natural practices with appeals for otherworldly help. Magical rites and influences were carried over from pagan times; Germanic tribes had used magical medicine for centuries. But as pagans were converted to Christianity, miraculous healing
180 Chapter 8 European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750–1000
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