18. Foods considered strange to modern minds were relatively common
During the medieval period, there were other sources of meat which to the modern mind would seem unpalatable, at least to most. Hedgehogs were a food source, and their blood was considered to have medicinal qualities in some cultures (they are still a food source for some, including Romani people). Their spines also offered many uses in medieval times throughout Europe. Porcupines were likewise valuable for several uses of their spines, and rather than waste the carcass they were butchered and eaten, with some recipes surviving in modern times, for those interested. Birds today are considered only for their value in songs and eating insects were considered fine eating as well.
Songbirds such as robins, wrens, larks, and blackbirds, were caught in traps, and the English in particular enjoyed baking them in pies, another innovation of the medieval period, and the source of yet another nursery rhyme. Swans, peahens, and peacocks often graced the tables of the wealthy, presented at table in elaborate displays. One of the favored means of impressing the guests at table was a full peacock, his tail reattached and spread to its full glory while being carried in by the servants. Some peafowl were domesticated on European estates, giving glory to the master’s grounds before the time came for them to give glory to his dining table.
