Charles VII at the table

At a French king's table in the 15th century, the meal unfolds in successive waves called "mets." It begins with pottages and broths, continues with "rosts" (roasted meats) and dishes bound with almond milk, then come the colorful entremets. It closes with the "issue de table": candied spices, fruit pastes, and spiced wine (hypocras) served to aid digestion. Nothing is placed all at once: squires present the dishes in waves, and each guest serves themselves from what is within reach.

Ginger, cinnamon, grains of paradise, and saffron, imported at great cost by merchants, signaled the wealth of the royal table. Almond milk, meanwhile, replaced animal milk on lean days and bound many dishes: this is the double hallmark of medieval court cuisine.