Pittance or Pig-Out?

The basic food staple consisted of bread for statute laborers and meat for the lords who enjoyed boarding rights as well as for their officers, whether they were fed by their masters or took part in the official banquets at which they met periodically. This basic menu mirrored social hierarchies. However, regardless of circumstances and social standing, all guests were entitled to certain guarantees as to the quality of the meals they were served. However, banquets not only responded to a need for conviviality but were also an expression of enlightened self-interest on the part of the lord.