Why did they use trenchers instead of plates?

Trenchers were flat, three-day-old loaves of bread that were cut in half and used as plates during feasts. The common belief is that after the diners were finished with their food, the used trencher was given to the poor.

What was a trencher food?

Trencher, originally a thick slice of bread, used as a primitive form of plate for eating and for slicing meat (hence its derivation from “trancher”—to cut, or carve), but by the 14th century a square or circular wooden plate of rough workmanship.

When were bread trenchers used?

Before about 1500, trenchers were made of large piecess of bread, usually several days old, which took the place of individual plates. Diners filled their trenchers with food from large platters placed in the centre of the table.

What did rich people drink in the medieval times?

Wine was the drink of choice for the upper classes and anyone who could afford it. It was produced all over medieval Europe and, due to the Medieval Warm Period that prevailed over western Europe until the 14th century, the climate meant it could be produced as far north as northern England.

What are trencher Salts?

: an individual salt dish or squat open saltcellar placed near a trencher.

What is a trencher Vikings?

A trencher was originally a flat round of (usually stale) bread used as a plate, upon which the food could be placed to eat. At the end of the meal, the trencher could be eaten with sauce, but could also be given as alms to the poor.

How did they bake bread in medieval times?

Bread ovens were large and gave off a lot of heat, which is why most people didn’t have one. The bread was put inside the oven to bake, using long-handled paddles. Since the surface on which the bread was baked could never be completely cleaned after the fire had been removed, the bottom of the bread was usually black.

What did they call beer in medieval times?

ale
In medieval England, ale was an alcoholic drink made from grain, water, and fermented with yeast. The difference between medieval ale and beer was that beer also used hops as an ingredient. Virtually everyone drank ale. It provided significant nutrition as well as hydration (and inebriation).

Why did medieval people not drink water?

People in the Middle Ages were also well aware that not all water was safe to drink – in addition to polluted water, which would be largely confined to urban areas, it was common knowledge to avoid obtaining water from marshy areas or places of standing water.

What were trencher bowls used for?

A dough bowl, or sometimes called a trencher, is a wooden vessel used to mix bread dough. Dating back to colonial times, these bowls were found in every home, and were carved from a large piece of wood.

What is a walk-behind trencher?

Walk-behind trenchers range from mini trenchers designed for applications such as installing irrigation lines and dog fencing, to larger models capable of digging 3 feet into the ground. This trencher utilizes a load-sensing hydraulic valve to adjust the trenching wheel speed to the load on the digging chain.

What was a trencher used for in medieval times?

A trencher (from Old French tranchier ‘to cut’) is a type of tableware, commonly used in medieval cuisine. A trencher was originally a flat round of (usually stale) bread used as a plate, upon which the food could be placed to eat. At the end of the meal, the trencher could be eaten with sauce, but could also be given as alms to the poor.

What kind of tableware is a trencher?

Trencher (tableware) Later the trencher evolved into a small plate of metal or wood, typically circular and completely flat, without the lip or raised edge of a plate. Trenchers of this type are still used, typically for serving food that does not involve liquid; the cheeseboard is perhaps the most common type in the West.

What kind of tableware was used in medieval times?

A trencher (from Old French tranchier; “to cut”) is a type of tableware, commonly used in medieval cuisine.

What kind of plate is a trencher made of?

Later the trencher evolved into a small plate of metal or wood, typically circular and completely flat, without the lip or raised edge of a plate. Trenchers of this type are still used, typically for serving food that does not involve liquid; the cheeseboard is perhaps the most common type in the West.