How did medieval people cook their food?
A castle or manor house OFTEN kept the kitchen in either a separate building, or the ‘under-croft’ (a stone first floor that was used ONLY for storage, kitchen, and prison). The castle would have wood-burning stoves and ovens. The average family had an open hearth in the home which was the kitchen and the source of home-heat. The normal family had ONE pot, hence the dish ‘pottage’: grains cooked in water and or meat-stock with vegetables. The rich would have a fairly wide variety of pots and pans… copper or cast-iron. Baking would be done in a either a communal oven, or by the village baker. Medieval “times” spread from the 5th to 16th century… and despite what MANY are saying here: there was no cast-iron stove. The metal stove did NOT come into usage until the early to mid 18th century. Here is a list of recipes: http://recipes.medievalcookery.
