Medieval Lamb Stew

Ready in 75 minutes

Prep for 20 minutes

Serves 10 people

Ingredients

● 2 lb of lamb shoulder (diced; 1 ½ inch pieces)

● 1 tsp of salt & pepper

● 4 parsnips (chopped into ½ inch pieces)

● ¼ cup of flour

● 8-12 cups of water

● 3-5 cups of herb (wild onion, thyme, etc.)

● ½ cabbage (roughly chopped)

● Opt. a cup of beer (to taste)

Preparation

1. Prepare Ingredients: dice lamb shoulder into 1 ½ inch pieces, chop vegetables (parsnips and cabbage)

2. Measure out remaining ingredients (flour)

3. Combine Add water, lamb shoulder, and parsnips to a large stock pot. Cook on medium-high heat for 25-35 minutes (until meat is tender).

4. Add the Rest turn the heat down to medium-low heat and stir in flour, salt & pepper, herbs, and beer (optional). Once combined, remove from heat and add flour in 3 groups and stir until incorporated.

5. Serve and Enjoy!

We have decided to make a Medieval Lamb Stew. This is a dish that was known to be made during the early Medieval time period, which was the time period when the Anglo-Saxons were around in England. This was a typical dish for the Anglo-Saxons and it is a dish that has a lot of versatility in the way that there are many different ingredients that can be put together to make a stew. Meat stews were the diet of many households during this time period. Lamb, sheep, and goat were the typical meats that were consumed during the early Medieval time period. The vegetables that were used during this time were typically grown, and the more exotic spices, vegetables, and fruits were imported from other countries, but these exotic spices and goods were for the families with a lot of wealth. Some of the imported goods would be spices such as pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves mace. We know that during the early medieval period they grew wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Cabbage was also something of large availability during this time period. A few other things that were cultivated were onions, thyme, leeks, and parsnips.

For our recipe we will be using about two pounds of lamb, this weight can vary due to the fact that the meat was costly, so the more wealthy families made their stew with more meat while the less fortunate families would incorporate more vegetables and spices to make their stew tasty. We have included salt and pepper into our recipe, it is assumed that most people were able to incorporate these into their recipe, but yet again these things may only have been available to the more wealthy. Next, we have parsnips, these were cultivated and a great source to use in many dishes to add flavor. We then mix in the other ingredients that are grown throughout the year by the Anglo-Saxon, these being onion, thyme, wheat, and cabbage. Lastly, beer was a drink that was drunk daily due to the fact that most of the freshwater found was polluted. Beer was easy for these Anglo-Saxons to make, it was a combination of barley, wild hops, and honey if available. Beer was another ingredient that could be added to this recipe. This dish gives a great understanding of the early medieval time period, in the way that this dish shows us what the typical diet of a Anglo-Saxon looked like, and what they did to make it work, using many different ingredients, spices, and goods to put food on the table.

References:

"History Cookbook: Lamb or Mutton Stew." Cook It!, E2BN, cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/1023-lamb-or-mutton-stew.html.

Olver, Lynne. The Food Timeline: History Notes--Mesopotamia through Shakespeare,

The Food Timeline, www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq3.html#anglosaxon.

Uzzell, Hazel. “Food and Drink.” Regia Anglorum - Food And Drink in Anglo-Saxon England,

10 Dec. 2002, regia.org/research/life/food.htm.

“What Did the Anglo-Saxons Eat?” DK Find Out!,

www.dkfindout.com/us/history/anglo-saxons/what-did-anglo-saxons-eat/.

Kate S, Jared S, Kayla G and Micaela P