At the Capetian court around the year 1000, there was no distinction between starter, main course, and dessert: several 'dishes' (roasts, fish, porridges, honey sweets) were brought together, and guests ate with their hands or the tip of their knife, placing the meat on a large trencher—a slice of stale bread that served as a plate and was later given to the poor. Rank was shown by one's place at the table, the quality of the bread (fine white wheat for the nobles), and the abundance of spices. On lean days, which were numerous under the pious Robert II, fish replaced all meat.

Pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and saffron arrived via Pavia and the Lombard roads—Berthe knew Italy—at the price of gold. To use them liberally at one's table was to proclaim one's royalty; honey, meanwhile, remained the only true 'sugar' of the time.