Eat Like a King: Dietary Advice to Theuderic I
We are what we eat. This expression probably has had more of a ring of truth to those who lived in the Middle Ages, than to us. Hippocratic and Galenic medicine was still the norm, and humoral theory formed the foundation for the understanding of the human body and temperament. To stay in good health, it was essential to keep the four humors (black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood) in balance.
by Minjie Su
Peacock, a medieval delicacy. This image shows a banquet with a peacock as part of the main course. From The Book of the conquests and deeds of Alexander commissioned by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good (1396-1467). Petit Palais Museum.