Western Civilization

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.

HEALTH 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

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

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.

ª

British Library Board/Robana/Art Resource, NY

180 Chapter 8European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750–1000

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