Meat was more costly and so regarded as a higher status symbol. Game, a type of meat obtained from hunting, was exclusively found on the tables of the nobles. Pork, chicken, and other domestic birds were the most frequent butcher's meats. Beef, which needed more land investment, was less common. Northern inhabitants relied heavily on cod and herring, which were dried, smoked, or salted for preservation, but they also ate a broad range of other saltwater and freshwater fish.

Long-distance commerce of many goods was extremely costly due to slow transit and food preservation processes, such as drying, salting, smoking, and pickling. As a result, the nobility's cuisine was more susceptible to foreign influence than the poor's; it was based on exotic spices and expensive imports.

From the 12th century forward, innovations from international trade and foreign conflicts progressively spread among the upper middle class of medieval towns as each level of society mimicked the one above it. Aside from the economic scarcity of luxuries like spices, decrees forbade certain meals from being consumed by particular social groups, and rules restricted flashy consumption of foods by those with new money, as opposed to money passed down through the generations.

Because it was considered that there was a natural connection between one's labor and one's diet, physical labor demanded hardier, cheaper food, and social standards mandated that the cuisine of the working class be less exquisite. Verjuice (the sour juice from unripe grapes, apples, sorrel, goose berries, etc.), wine, and vinegar, in conjunction with spices like black pepper, saffron, and ginger, were common ingredients in the highly spiced flavor pallet of upper-class medieval meals. Many foods took on a sweet-sour flavor as a result of using those ingredients along with the frequent use of sugar or honey. Almonds, particularly almond milk, were widely used as a thickening agent in soups, stews, and sauces.