Chrétien de Troyes at the table

At the court of Champagne in the 12th century, meals were not served as starter-main-dessert but as a succession of "courses": several savory and sweet dishes placed together on the table, where each person helped themselves. Bread served as a plate (the "trencher"), potages opened the meal, roasts and their spiced sauces were the glory of feast days, and spiced wine closed the banquet to aid digestion. Rank was read in the abundance of spices, luxury goods that arrived via the Champagne fairs.

Acidity came from verjuice (juice of unripe grapes), never lemon, and cinnamon dominated the famous cameline sauce. Troyes, a crossroads of the Champagne fairs, saw pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and saffron arriving from the East: placing these spices on one's table was a display of wealth as much as a treat for one's guests.