【简译】中世纪英国城堡宴会中的食物

2022-08-07 11:31 作者:神尾智代 0人读过 | 我要投稿

If one was looking to enjoy a fine meal in the medieval world then the best place to find a handsomely laid dinner table was in the local castle. There, in the magnificent Great Hall, feasts were regularly served for the local lord and his entourage of knights and ladies where a hearty appetite was considered a great virtue. The cooks in the castle kitchens could draw on the castle's own food stores made plentiful with goods either paid in tax by, or commandeered from, the local peasantry or the foodstuffs produced from the castle's own lands. Supplementing these goodies was anything that the castle residents could bring in from their frequent hunting trips in the local forests. With not much else going on by way of regular entertainment, a good banquet was a highlight of the day and a chance to dress up, try out some exotic foods and be entertained by musicians and poets.

在中世纪的世界里，如果有人想享受美食，那么最好的地方就是在当地的城堡里找到一张布置精致的餐桌。在宏伟的大礼堂里，人们定期为当地的领主及其随行的骑士和女士们提供盛宴；在那里，好胃口被认为是一种伟大的美德。城堡厨房里的厨师们可以利用城堡自身的食品仓库，用当地农民缴纳的税款或从他们那里征用的货物或城堡自己的土地上生产的食品来补充。补充这些食物的是城堡居民经常在当地森林里打猎所能带来的任何东西。由于平时的娱乐活动并不多，一场好的宴会是一天中的亮点，也是一个穿戴整齐的机会，尝试一些异国的食物，接受音乐家和诗人的娱乐。

食品供应

Castles could store plenty of foodstuffs in the basement and ground floor of the tower keep as, without windows (to improve security during a siege), this part of the building was not much good for anything else. In the courtyards of larger castles there were other buildings for brewing beer, making bread, and more storage space such as the buttery which was used to keep a plentiful stock of beer, wine and cider (always useful if the water ran out during a prolonged attack). There might also be a more select stock of spirits such as English mead or French brandy, kept in reserve for the lord and special occasions. In larger castles there was, too, space for keeping livestock, perhaps a dovecote for pigeons, a granary for keeping grain and flour, a pond for fish and a garden for growing herbs, fruit, vines and vegetables.

城堡塔楼的地下室可以储存大量的食品，因为如果没有窗户（以提高被围攻时的安全性），这部分建筑就没有什么用处。在大型城堡的院子里，还有其他建筑用于酿造啤酒、制作面包，以及更多的储存空间，如用于储存大量啤酒、葡萄酒和苹果酒的黄油库（如果在长期的攻击中水被耗尽，它总是很有用）。还可能有更多精选的烈酒储备，如英国蜂蜜酒或法国白兰地，为领主和特殊场合保留。在较大的城堡中，也有饲养牲畜的空间，也许还有饲养鸽子的鸽舍，储存谷物和面粉的粮仓，养鱼的池塘和种植草药、水果、葡萄和蔬菜的花园。

The foodstuffs came from the castle's own animals and lands or were paid to it as a form of tax by local farmers. It was the responsibility of the lady of the castle to oversee all the domestic aspects of castle-life including the food supply (although a local sheriff actually procured the food required from peasants), the daily menu and the care of any guests. Food supplies were not always regular, of course. Adverse weather conditions hit agriculture and disrupted availability, sending prices rocketing and making certain foods unobtainable. Food production, as with most other human activities, was especially hit by such catastrophic events as war, famine and plague. Still, in the normal course of events, a daily dinner at the castle was an event not to be missed.

食品来自城堡自己的畜养的家畜或所属领地，或者由当地农民上缴的（以税收的形式）。城堡的女主人有责任监督城堡生活，包括食品供应（尽管当地警长从农民那里采购了所需的食品）、日常菜单和对任何客人的照顾。当然，食品供应并不总是正常的。恶劣的天气条件会打击农业，扰乱食品供应，使食品价格急剧上升，使某些食物无法获得。与大多数其他人类活动一样，食品生产尤其受到战争、饥荒和瘟疫等灾难性事件的打击。然而，在正常情况下，城堡里的晚餐是一个不容错过的事件。

大厅

In the Great Hall of the castle, which usually had an impressive high ceiling (perhaps even a vaulted one) and wall decorations of weapons, wall hangings, murals and coats of arms, there was a large fireplace for warmth and long tables with benches set around the walls for the diners. Even the floor was taken care of and spread with straw and herbs to keep out pests and provide a little fragrance. Seating arrangements were quite well defined. The lord and lady of the castle with their immediate entourage usually sat on a raised platform at the end of the hall - the original high table and usually the most draught-free spot. Only the lord of the castle and sometimes his lady sat on a chair; everyone else had to make do with the benches. The tables were simple affairs set on trestles which were only set up at mealtimes. Laid with a tablecloth, each place had a knife, spoon, and cup while shared between diners were jugs for drinking and a dish for salt.

在城堡的大厅里，通常有一个令人印象深刻的高天花板（也许甚至是一个拱形天花板），墙上有武器、壁挂、壁画和纹章等装饰，有一个大壁炉取暖，有长桌，长椅围绕墙壁摆放，供食客使用。甚至地板也被打理得很好，铺上了稻草和草药，以防止害虫，并提供一点香味。座位的安排相当明确。城堡的领主和夫人以及他们的随从通常坐在大厅尽头的高台上——这是最初的高桌，通常是最不通风的地方。只有城堡的主人，有时还有他的夫人坐在椅子上；其他人都不得不坐在长椅上。桌子是简单的，摆在架子上，只有在吃饭的时候才会摆上。桌子上铺着桌布，每个地方都有刀、勺和杯子，而食客之间分享的是饮水壶和一个放盐的盘子。

After normally having eaten a meagre breakfast of bread and wine, and with only a simple supper in the later afternoon to look forward to, the diners would have been ready for their big meal of the day, usually served between 10 am and 12 noon. If it were a festival or a Christian holiday, then the meal, ordinarily a pretty good one anyway, would be an extra special feast. Dinner was announced by a chamberlain blowing a horn which was the signal for everyone to wash their hands in the bowl of water at their place. As there were no forks and people cut up food with a knife and then used their fingers, retainers were always on hand with fresh bowls of water and towels. Curiously, dishes were served for two people and the less distinguished of the pairing was expected to cut the food and break the bread for the other. Other conventions of decorum were not to put one's elbows on the table, not leave a spoon in the shared dish, not to take huge helpings, wipe the mouth before drinking, and never belch.

通常在吃过含有面包和酒的微薄早餐后，食客们只需在下午晚些时候期待一顿简单的晚餐，城堡的侍者们会准备好一天的大餐，通常在上午10点到中午12点之间供应。如果是节日或基督教节日，那么这顿饭，无论如何都是相当不错的，这将是一场特别的盛宴。晚饭由内侍吹响号角宣布开始，这是每个人在自己位置上的水盆里洗手的信号。由于当时没有叉子，人们用刀切食物，然后用手拿着吃，家臣们总是带着干净的水碗和毛巾在旁边。奇怪的是，菜肴是为两个人准备的，双方中身份相对较低的人要为另一个人切菜和掰面包。其他礼节性的惯例是不要把胳膊肘放在桌子上，不要把勺子留在共用的盘子里，不要大吃大喝，喝酒前要擦嘴，不要打嗝。

厨房

Chefs were assisted, depending on the size of the castle, by such skilled specialists as a sauce chef, a slaughterer, a baker, a poulterer and a fruiterer. Other staff included cupbearers, brewers, and people responsible for specific aspects of the medieval dining experience like the tablecloths, the candles, the silver dining service and getting the food to the guests from the kitchen before it got stone cold.

根据城堡的大小，厨师们会得到各种熟练专家们的协助，如酱汁厨师、屠宰工、面包师、烤肉师和水果师。其他工作人员包括持杯人、酿酒师以及负责中世纪用餐礼仪的特定方面的人，如桌布、蜡烛、银质餐具的摆放以及在食物变冷之前从厨房送到客人手中等服务。

Chefs had a large open fire, spit braziers and an oven with which to whip up their magic. Some ovens were huge, as those commissioned by King John of England at both Marlborough and Ludgershall castles where they were large enough to accommodate a whole ox. By the kitchen was a pantry where such goodies as cheese, eggs and bread were stored.

厨师们有一个很大的明火灶、吐司炉和烤炉，可以用它来制作美味的食物。有些烤炉非常巨大，如英国国王约翰在马尔堡和路德维希尔城堡委托建造的烤炉，其大小足以容纳一整头牛。厨房边上有一个储藏室，存放着奶酪、鸡蛋和面包等好东西。

中世纪的盛宴

The one thing that differentiated the medieval rich from the poor more than any other in terms of food was meat. Meat could be fresh, salted or smoked, and included chicken, bacon, pork, beef, mutton, duck, geese, pigeons, and wild birds such as pheasants and partridges. For the more adventurous diner there were cranes, larks and herons but just about anything with wings on it could find its way onto a castle dinner table. Then there was four-legged game such as deer, hares and boars which were all captured on a hunt, an especially popular pastime for those rich enough not to have to work for a living. More exotic fare included swans and peacocks, which made especially impressive presentation dishes.

在食物方面，中世纪的富人与穷人的区别比其他都大——那就是肉类。肉类可以是新鲜的、腌制的或熏制的，包括鸡肉、熏肉、猪肉、牛肉、羊肉、鸭肉、鹅肉、鸽子以及野鸡和鹧鸪等野鸟。对于更喜欢冒险的食客来说，还有鹤、云雀和苍鹭，但几乎所有带翅膀的东西都能在城堡的餐桌上找到它。然后是四条腿的动物，如鹿、野兔和野猪，它们都是在狩猎中捕获的，这对那些不用工作谋生的富人来说是特别受欢迎的消遣。更具异国情调的食物包括天鹅和孔雀，它们是特别令人印象深刻的展示菜肴。

The fashion in the Middle Ages was to boil meat in large cauldrons, a process known as 'seething'. Alternatively, it was roasted or grilled while meat stews and soups were prepared, too. Meat dumplings were made from minced meat mixed with egg and breadcrumbs and then poached. There was also a dish where meat was pounded into a paste and mixed with boiled rice. Finally, meat pies, pastries and fritters were prepared, and there were fish pies, too. Commonly eaten fish included herring, cod, trout, sole, plaice, salmon, bream, pike, mackerel and mullet. Fish was fresh or had been smoked or salted to preserve it. It was usually fried or cooked in a mix of ale and saltwater. The most exotic and expensive examples of seafood were sturgeon and whale, both known as the “royal fish” but there were also crayfish, eels, oysters and porpoise if the host wanted to impress his guests.

中世纪流行在大锅里煮肉，这个过程被称为"出炉"。另外，还可以烤肉，也可以准备炖肉和汤。“肉馅饺子”是由肉末与鸡蛋和面包屑混合，然后水煮而成。还有一道菜是将肉捣成糊状并与煮熟的米饭混合。最后，厨师还会准备肉馅饼、糕点和油炸食品，也有鱼馅饼。常吃的鱼包括鲱鱼、鳕鱼、鳟鱼、鳎鱼、鲽鱼、鲑鱼、鳊鱼、梭鱼、鲭鱼和鲻鱼。鱼是新鲜的，或者经过熏制或盐渍来保存。它通常被油炸或在麦芽酒和盐水的混合物中烹调。最具异国情调和最昂贵的海鲜是鲟鱼和鲸鱼，两者都被称为"皇家鱼"，但如果主人想给客人留下深刻印象，也有小龙虾、鳗鱼、牡蛎和鼠海豚。

The most common vegetables were peas and beans but there were also root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, and burdock as well as lettuce, beets, cabbage, spinach, leeks, pumpkins and watercress. Capers and nuts were favourites. Bread, darker than we are used to today because of the lack of refined flour, besides being a handy filler, was also used as a plate. Roast meat, in particular, was often served on a thick slice of one-day-old bread (a trencher or manchet) while other dishes came in bowls.

最常见的蔬菜是豌豆和其他豆类，但也有根茎类蔬菜，如胡萝卜、西兰花和牛蒡，以及生菜、甜菜、白菜、菠菜、韭菜、南瓜和水芹。辣椒和坚果是最受欢迎的。由于缺乏精制面粉，面包的颜色比我们今天的要深，面包除了是一种方便的食物外，还被用作盘子。特别是烤肉，经常被放在一片厚厚的一天前制作的面包（trencher或manchet）上，而其他菜肴则被放在碗里。

Dessert consisted of cheese, wafers and pastries such as fruit or cheese tarts. Fruits included apples, pears, plums, peaches, cherries and wild fruits. For the wealthiest of castle hosts, the exotic foodstuffs to be found on his table, which were brought in from abroad, included rice, almonds, raisins, oranges, pomegranates, figs and dates.

甜品包括奶酪、威化饼和糕点，如水果或奶酪馅饼。水果包括苹果、梨、李子、桃子、樱桃和一些野果。对于最富有的城堡主人来说，在他的餐桌上可以看到从国外带来的异国食品，包括大米、杏仁、葡萄干、橙子、石榴、无花果和枣。

Food could be seasoned using salt, vinegar, mustard, aniseed, and herbs (e.g. basil, fennel, rosemary, parsley, sage and mint). Honey was a common sweetener as was special sugar, sometimes made with roses and violets. Sauces were prepared by grinding herbs and mixing them with wine, the juice of unripe grapes (verjuice), or vinegar. Onions, garlic, ginger, saffron, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon were also in the chef's repertoire to make the mundane more interesting and mask the taste of any meat that had not fared so well in the castle's larder. Spices were expensive, though, with 30 grammes of pepper, for example, costing the day's wages of a labourer.

食物可以用盐、醋、芥末、大茴香和药性食材（如罗勒、茴香、迷迭香、欧芹、鼠尾草和薄荷）进行调味。蜂蜜是一种常见的甜味剂，也是一种特殊的糖，有时用玫瑰和紫罗兰制成。酱汁是通过研磨草药并与葡萄酒、未成熟葡萄的汁液（verjuice）或醋混合而成的。洋葱、大蒜、生姜、藏红花、丁香、肉豆蔻和肉桂也在厨师的食谱中，以使平凡的食物味道更加有趣，并掩盖在城堡的储藏室中味道不佳的肉类的气味。不过，香料是很昂贵的，例如，30克的胡椒就需要花费一个工人一天的工资。

For drinks, there was wine, always drunk young as nobody had yet invented a good way to seal and store it indefinitely. Decanted from barrels into jugs it might have a few little additives like spices or sweeteners which was just as well because it was usually not very good according to several medieval commentators. Alternatively, but not really for the distinguished guest, there were beers and ales made from barley, malt, wheat or oats. Being weak in alcohol content it was also drunk by children. Water was none too clean and best avoided.

在饮料方面，有葡萄酒，总是在刚酿制好时喝，因为还没有人发明出密封和无限期储存的好方法。从桶中倒入壶中，可能会放一些添加剂，如香料或甜味剂，这也很好，因为根据一些中世纪评论家的说法，刚酿出的葡萄酒味道通常不是很好。另外，还有用大麦、麦芽、小麦或燕麦制成的啤酒和麦芽酒，但这并不适合尊贵的客人。由于酒精含量低，儿童也会喝一些。水在当时是不太干净的（不易干净地储存），最好不要喝。

All of this food could be spread over many courses, sometimes up to ten in a single meal. The diners need have no fear of seeming a bit greedy, though, as a good appetite was considered a great virtue in the medieval world. Indeed, there were even such sayings as 'a man who eats heartily will never prove to be a coward' and knights, especially, probably tried to outdo each other on just how much food and drink they could put away. One of the most famous of all knights, the Englishman Sir William Marshal (c. 1146-1219 CE) was known as 'the glutton' or gaste-viande in his youth, and it was a term of endearment rather than criticism. Similarly, another knight, Guy de Bourgogne, seems to have gone out of his way to impress his Saracen captors who reported that he had the appetite of four men.

这些食物可以分散在许多道菜里，有时一餐可以吃到十道。不过，食客们不必担心会显得有些贪婪，因为在中世纪的世界里，良好的胃口被认为是一种伟大的美德。事实上，甚至有这样的说法："一个吃得饱的人永远不会被证明是个懦夫"，特别是骑士们，可能试图在他们能吃多少食物和饮料上超越对方。最著名的骑士之一，英国人威廉·马歇尔爵士（约公元1146-1219年）在年轻时被称为 "贪食者 "或gaste-viande，这是一个爱称，而不是批评的说法。同样，另一位骑士盖伊·德·布尔戈涅（Guy de Bourgogne）似乎是为了给俘虏他的撒拉逊人留下深刻印象，他们报告说他有四个人的胃口。

娱乐

While the guests were tucking into all this hearty fare, jugglers and jesters performed, perhaps a harpist offered some unobtrusive background music and minstrels sang and played the lute or vielle (an early version of the violin) for their entertainment. After the meal, guests who still felt up to it could play games such as dice, backgammon or the hugely popular chess, all of which might involve a bit of betting. Alternatively, the minstrels belted out a few songs, the chanson de gestes and chansons d'amour, actually epic poems in Old French which told familiar stories of knightly daring deeds and impossible romances respectively. One or two of the guests might perform songs they had themselves composed, such was the expectation upon a chivalrous knight and a suitable recompense for the host's generosity in offering such a fine dining experience.

当客人们吃着这些丰盛的食物时，杂耍者和小丑在表演，竖琴师会为宴会提供一些不引人注意的背景音乐，吟游诗人在唱歌，弹奏琵琶或vielle（小提琴的早期版本）供他们娱乐。饭后，仍然有精力的客人们可以玩一些游戏，如骰子、双陆棋或大受欢迎的国际象棋，这些游戏都可能涉及到一些赌注。另外，吟游诗人还会唱几首歌曲，即chanson de gestes和chansons d'amour，实际上是古法语的史诗，分别讲述人们熟悉的骑士的大胆行为和虚幻的浪漫故事。有一两个客人可能会表演他们自己创作的歌曲，这是人们对骑士的期望，也是对主人慷慨提供如此美好的用餐体验的适当补偿。