Hugh Capet at the table

At the table of the Frankish kings in the 10th century, dishes were not served one after another as they are today, but in "services": several dishes were brought together and placed on the table, and each person helped themselves according to their rank. Roasted meats and broths (thickened pottages) held the center, wheat bread served as the plate (the trencher), and wine flowed abundantly. On lean days prescribed by the Church, fish replaced meat. Sugar did not yet exist: honey provided sweetness, and spices from the East signaled the power of those who could afford them.

Pepper, ginger, and cinnamon traveled from Asia along endless trade routes. In the time of Hugh Capet, a pinch of these rare powders was worth a fortune: sprinkling them on one's sauces was a way of showing one was king. This mark of prestige runs through the entire meal.