Customer Reviews

Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This meticulously-researched book on medieval food customs not only contains a great deal of useful information for anyone wanting more information on the era, but is almost as readable as a novel. The author has a great style, both humorous and knowledgable, and the text is enhanced with illustrations from manuscripts of the period. This is not a "plan your own medieval feast" recipe book but a meticulous and engaging look at medieval attitudes about food, food storage and preparation, and what really went on in the hall and in the kitchen. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the period.

Is it good? Oh, it's good. Gets cumbersome in places but the author maintains a lighthearted and rather even-handed tone. The author occasionally wanders dangerously into dull academese, but then rescues the prose with brilliant anecdotes. Don't expect any hard data - read and enjoy the hundreds of snapshots depicting a life long gone.

As for content: It's positively shocking to read about the social disapproval that came simply with eating before lunch, eating too much, and eating the wrong foods. It horrifies a modern reader to see the tremendous and baseless sacerdotal interference in nutrition throughout the Middle Ages. Ponder the role of churchmen who feel they had nothing better to do than offer proscriptions on how, what, and when to eat.

And then ponder how our generation has outdone even them in associating guilt and shame with the love of food...

I thought this would be a great source of information on the topic, and it is. It's just rather thickly written. So take your time with it.

I originally gave this a 5 star rating (and then couldn't go back and change it to a 3 star rating) based on the overwhelming and obvious amount of research that went into preparing the book. The book however, is misleading in that it is a SCHOLARLY written text on medieval foods and customs, all of which require the reader to wade through tons and tons of short clips of religious beliefs associated with food, as well as tons and tons of short clips of bibical quotes regarding food and food taking. This might be all well and good if the writing flowed, but it doesn't. The content is disjointed and extremely cumbersome to read, and I finally gave up. The subject matter caught my interest and I was sadly disappointed - the mistake was mine, and an expensive one at that.