Thursday, December 23, 2010

Connecting With A Medieval Christmas

When you sit down on Christmas Day and eat your turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding, here are 3 medieval connections you might like to reflect on.

  • William the Conqueror chose Christmas Day 1066 for his coronation as King of England at Westminster Abbey in London. Read more about the medieval kings of England.

  • On Christmas Day no-one in medieval Europe ate turkey - it was the 16th century before the humble turkey was brought from America. In medieval times it was usually goose or venison for the rich on Christmas Day and pottage with perhaps a little meat thrown in for the peasants. Read more about pottage recipes.

  • The tradition of having a Christmas pudding was as popular then as it is now except that the pudding was a little different in medieval times. It was called frumenty and was a spicy, thick porridge made with wheat, currants, dried fruit and spices. Read more about medieval desserts.

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