Charlemagne at the table

At the Carolingian court, meals were not served in successive courses as they are today: everything was laid out together on the long table, around the bread that served as both plate and base for the meal. The sovereign and his counts ate at the same mensa, in order of rank. The roast game took center place, surrounded by cheeses, fruits from the imperial estates, and wine cut with water. Einhard reports that Charles ate frugally, listened to readings during the meal, and considered hunting and dining as two sides of the same art of governance.

Around 795, Charlemagne decreed which plants should be grown on every estate of the Empire: sage, lovage, cumin, fennel, savory, coriander. This medicinal kitchen garden perfumed all Carolingian cuisine and linked the table, the garden, and bodily care—the aromatic signature of his reign.