12. Flavorings in cooking became complex during the medieval period
Throughout Europe, herbs of many varieties grew naturally, and in the monasteries, they were grown for both medicinal purposes and as flavorings for food. The use of herbs in cooking was based on the four humors, and originally was meant as a means of keeping foods healthful for the body, easing digestion and maintaining balance. Spices however were rare and expensive, limited to the tables of the wealthy, who used them both to flavor foods and to create ostentatious displays of the depths of their pockets. Nearly all spices came from Africa or the east. Black pepper was the most eagerly sought spice, followed by cinnamon, though many others were known to medieval cooks.
Spices could be used to change the colors of foods. The color was also believed to affect the humors, both of the food and the consumer. Probably the most exclusive spice was saffron, rare, expensive, and used by the very rich. Sugar was considered a spice, known only to the wealthy, the poor sweetened their food and beverages with honey, which was often mixed into wine as a medicine. Unripe fruits were sometimes harvested and their juice squeezed to make flavorings which were tart or sour, an alternative to using vinegar for a similar purpose, especially in the northern regions where lemons were not readily available. Surviving medieval recipes indicate that the use of almonds was common, especially in the form of almond milk as an ingredient in cooking.
