Anglo-Saxon literature (ie. literature written in the
earliest recognizable form of English between approximately the 7th century AD and the Norman Conquest of 1066) provides little material for the
interested cook. Emphasising, as it
does, the heroic deeds of men, little space is devoted to the lives of women or
to the domestic sphere.
Beowulf, the
best-known literary text from this period (which survives in a sole manuscript
probably from the 11th century, although the poem itself could have
been composed up to 500 years earlier), tells of the heroic feats of Beowulf, a
Geatish prince (the Geats were the tribe who occupied the Southern part of
Sweden). Hearing of the devastation that
is being wrought on the Geats’ neighbours, the Danes, by the monster Grendel,
Beowulf decides to act. He travels with
a small group of men to the land of the Danes, where after having been welcomed
by the Danish king, Hrothgar, he fights and defeats Grendel. When Grendel’s mother seeks revenge for her
son’s death by killing a Danish noble, Beowulf seeks her out in her underwater
lair and fights her to the death.
Following these victories which bring peace and safety to the Danes,
Beowulf returns to Geatland where, in time, he becomes king and rules
successfully for more than 50 years. But
his prosperous reign is disrupted by a dragon that begins tormenting the
Geats. Despite his age, Beowulf decides
to fight the dragon; whilst he is successful in killing the dragon, he is
himself fatally wounded in the encounter but goes to his death as a hero and
saviour of his nation.
Whilst no mention is made of any specific food or meals in Beowulf, the warriors do spend
significant periods of time drinking and feasting. At the centre of their society is the
mead-hall, the building where the community eats and drinks, and where some of
them even sleep. The narrator notes that
the Danes’ mead-hall was built under the orders of the king, Hrothgar,
following great success in battle:
It came into his [Hrothgar’s]
mind that he would instruct men to build a greater mead-hall than the children
of men had ever heard of, and therein he would distribute to young and old
everything which God had given him...(lines 67 – 72; p. 37 – all quotations
taken from Michael Swanton’s translation for Manchester University Press, 1978)
The hall is named Heorot, which means hart or stag, a symbol
of nobility at this time. It is the place
where the king bestows gifts, where there is music and singing, and it is the
place that Grendel attacks because he cannot endure the sound of “loud
rejoicing in the hall” (line 89; p. 39).
The mead-hall thus functions symbolically as an image of success and of
community, an image that the embittered and solitary Grendel seeks to
destroy.
All the eating and drinking in Beowulf takes place communally in the mead-hall. No mention is made of the food consumed,
though the many references to feasts and banquets suggest food is in
abundance. But it is the drinking that
takes centre-stage; beer, wine and mead are all mentioned in Beowulf.
But the fact that the building is called a mead hall suggests the primacy of this particular alcoholic drink. Mead, an ancient drink, first referred to in
Indian writings from c. 1700-1100 BC, is made by fermenting a honey and water
solution. It is described in Beowulf as “the sweet drink” (line 496,
p. 57), and the mead drinking takes place communally and in a ceremonial
manner. On Beowulf’s arrival at Heorot, Hrothgar’s
queen, Wealhtheow, is the cup-bearer and, “mindful of etiquette” (line 614; p.
63), she offers the cup first to her husband, Hrothgar, then to the Danish
warriors, before carrying it to the guest of honour, Beowulf. When Beowulf returns safely to his country
following his victories in Geatland, there is feasting at the court of his
uncle, the king Hygelac, and Hygelac’s wife “moved through the spacious
building with mead-cups, cared for the people, carried flagons of drink” (lines
1980-82; p. 129).
The few references to food and drink in Beowulf paint a picture of a society where eating and drinking are
communal activities which serve to bind together its members and to integrate
new-comers and visitors. What is eaten
and drunk is of less importance than the symbolic value accorded to food and
drink.
MEAD-INFUSED
SLOW-ROASTED PORK
The many
references to mead-drinking in Beowulf inspired
me to try my hand at cooking with it.
Having read that honey was used to glaze meat in the Anglo-Saxon period, I thought that the honey in the mead would
provide a tasty complement to pork. The
availability of mead does depend on where you live; it doesn’t seem to be
readily available in supermarkets, and it also seems to be easier to find it in
the South West. I bought it from Gerry’s
in Old Compton Street (W1D 4UW) - http://www.gerrys.uk.com/index.aspx
- which seems to stock every type of alcoholic drink you can think of. But if you can’t find it, or don’t want to
splash out on a whole bottle for one recipe (though it’s a nice drink to have
on its own!), I would suggest just using some honey instead.
The first
time I made this I only marinated the pork for a couple of hours; the next time
I tried overnight and it really made a difference. The honey flavours of the mead had permeated
the pork; that, coupled with the slow-roasting, led to a very tender, moist
joint. The only downside I found was
that after all that marinating in liquid it was difficult to get crackling on
the pork; I did dry off and salt the fat before roasting the pork, but it still
didn’t really come off. But I think the
flavours of the pork make this a worthwhile way to try out cooking meat.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 kilogram
pork joint (I used pork belly)
2 garlic
cloves, chopped finely
2 sprigs of
rosemary
2 bay leaves
100 ml mead
100 ml olive
oil
1 tablespoon
of juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
Salt and
pepper
Marinate the pork for a few hours – ideally overnight – in a
marinade composed of all the other ingredients listed.
Roast at 150C for 2 ½ hours, and then raise the heat to 220C
for 20 minutes. Alter timings depending
on the size of the joint.
AN ACCOMPANIMENT:
BARLEY, LEEK AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO
I had friends around for dinner to try out the pork and made
a barley risotto as an accompaniment.
Obviously potatoes would not have been available in Anglo-Saxon England;
nor would rice. But grains such as
barley would have been widely eaten.
There is a renewal of interest in grains such as barley, rye and spelt
nowadays – at least partly owing to increased gluten-intolerance amongst people
–and pearl barley is readily available.
This ‘risotto’ makes a tasty and authentic enough accompaniment to the
pork. This could be cooked as a main
meal in its own right; perhaps just add some grated Parmesan at the end in that
case.
Ingredients (serves 4 as a
side-dish, or 2 as a main dish):
1 medium-onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
2 leeks (sliced)
100g chestnut mushrooms (chopped)
150g pearl barley
Water / vegetable stock (500ml should be sufficient)
Walnuts to garnish (optional)
Grated parmesan (if being made as a main course)
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Fry the onion in 1 tablespoon oil until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook briefly to
soften. Add the leeks and mushrooms and
cook until they begin to soften (5-10 minutes).
Add the pearl barley and stir around so it gets a good coating of
oil. Then begin adding the stock or
water bit by bit, stirring frequently (as if making a risotto). When the pearl barley is cooked – it should be
tender, but with some bite, and will take 20 - 25 minutes – check for seasoning, adding pepper, and salt if
necessary (the amount will depend on whether you have used water or
stock). Garnish with walnuts if so
desired. If you are making this as a main course, then stir in the grated Parmesan at this point.
both pork and risotto sound delicious x
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely, and I love the premise of your blog! Did you have a small dagger with which to eat as well? I'd feel cheated otherwise!
ReplyDeleteNo Lucy, I tore it apart with my bare hands in the style of a true Anglo-Saxon hero! Thanks for the positive comments too!
Delete