What foods did people NOT eat in the Medieval Times?

Answer 1

In Medieval England, they did not have much in the way of tropical food, and what there was usually had to be imported from great distances. I don't know when the concept of an orangery developed, but it was probably not before the Renaissance, so there would have been no Oranges or other citrus fruit. Bananas and pineapples were unknown.

Foods from the new world had not been brought to Europe, so there was no maize, no potatos, no tomatoes, and many new world squashes and melons were absent. There were no new world beans, which is just about any beans except fava beans.

They did have strawberries, as there were at least three European species, but the stawberries currently grown are North American.

Answer 2

AnswerPotatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, corn ( these are New World foods) AnswerAmong the foods Europeans did not have in the Middle Ages were maize (corn), wild rice, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, common beans, lima beans, peanuts, potato, sweet potato, tomatoes, chili peppers, papaya, squash, hickory nuts, black walnuts, peanuts, and chocolate. Also, medieval people did not have turkeys.

There were a number of foods that were not available in Europe, but had other, similar European foods. For example, Europeans did not have common beans, but they did have peas, fava beans, and lentils.

There were foods that existed as plants in Europe, but were not used commonly or widely for food. Blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries are among these.

And there were foods that could have been used in Europe, but the knowledge of how to use them was not at hand. Maple syrup, and other sugars and syrups made from tree saps, are an example.

There were a number of New World crops that were also grown in the Old World, so care has to be taken to check each crop separately for each place in compiling a list of foods not available in the Middle Ages.

Sugar from sugar cane, however, was known to the ancient Greeks, and was available in medieval times. It was considered quite exotic, and was called "sweet salt."

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Answer 3

Potatoes and tomatoes were not available. Nor were corn (maize) and New World beans or squash.