Roland at the table

At Charlemagne's court, meals do not follow the starter-main-dessert order. Instead, dishes are brought together in courses called *mès* (services): cereal porridges and dark bread feed the common folk, while roasted meats, honeyed and spiced sauces, and wine mixed with water distinguish the nobility. On lean days imposed by the Church, fish and vegetables replace meat. Honey and garden herbs serve as a common thread, from everyday fare to banquet.

Charlemagne had the list of plants to be cultivated on his estates recorded in the *Capitulare de villis*: sage, lovage, cumin, fenugreek, coriander, and the precious honey from the royal hives. Combined with imported pepper and cumin — which only the powerful could afford — this aromatic repertoire defines the cuisine of the Frankish court where Roland moves.