Flutterby™! : Medieval England diet

University of Cambridge: Anglo-Saxon BBQ: England's early medieval kings were mostly vegetarian but peasants treated them to huge meat feasts, new studies reveal.

BBC: Cambridge University study finds Anglo-Saxon kings were mostly vegetarian

Dr Leggett said: "I've found no evidence of people eating anything like this much animal protein on a regular basis.

"If they were, we would find isotopic evidence of excess protein and signs of diseases like gout from the bones. But we're just not finding that.

"The isotopic evidence suggests that diets in this period were much more similar across social groups than we've been led to believe.

"We should imagine a wide range of people livening up bread with small quantities of meat and cheese, or eating pottages of leeks and whole grains with a little meat thrown in."

Food and Power in Early Medieval England: a lack of (isotopic) enrichment DOI: 10.1017/S0263675122000072

Food and Power in Early Medieval England: Rethinking Feorm DOI: 10.1017/S0263675122000084