WHAT DID THE VIKINGS EAT?

Common foods and farming

"The main items in the Vikings' diet were wholemeal bread made from rye and oats, porridge containing oatmeal and barley, eggs, milk, cream, butter and cheese. They ate mutton, goats' flesh, horseflesh, beef and pork; in the far north, the meat of reindeer, polar bears, whales and seals could be obtained. Herring, haddock, cod and eels were favourite delicacies. The most commonly eaten vegetables were cabbages, wild greens, and onions. For fruit they had apples and all kinds of berries and nuts. They drank great quantities of milk, buttermilk and whey, as well as a weak beer brewed from barley and a much stronger mead made from fermented hone and water. Many kinds of wine were imported from Europe and faraway Byzantium. The food was cooked over the open fire in the middle of the hall. Meats were either roasted on the spit, boiled in great cauldrons or fried in deep pans. Bread the oatcakes were baked on flat stones laid across the firepit...archaeologists have found stone ovens where food was cooked between layers of red hot stones. The Vikings enjoyed plain food and preferred boiled to roast or fried meat--the heroes in Valhalla feasted off boiled pork. They loved rich stews made up of all the scraps and leftovers. Their food was sweetened with honey and flavored with pepper and many other spices, imported from the East...Farming took much of the time of most Vikings. They grew rye, barley and oats in small homefields which were enclosed by dry stone walls...They had small vegetable patches and orchards of apple trees...They bred sheep, goats, cattle and chickens. Cattle were by far the most important as they provided so much of their food as well as hides for boots and clothes...they went out hunting for elk, wild boar, deer and even bear...Fowling was another favourite pasttime, and source of food. Much of their time was spent fishing in the fjords or at sea. They caught herring in the Baltic, cod and haddock in the Atlantic, and whales, seals and walruses in the cold northern seas...They collected seaweed and spread it over their fields as a manure. Seaweed was also stored and given to the cattle during the winter, and when times were bad, the Vikings ate it themselves."
(The Vikings, Michael Gibson [Wayland Publishers:London] 1972. p. 29-33)

"Milk from cows, sheep, or goats was drunk or used in the preparation of various dishes or processed. It was often separated into curds and whey or buttermilk and made into butter or cheese...meat came primarily from domestic animals: pigs, cows, sheep, lambs, boats, and horses. The slaughtering of animals typically took place in the fall, so that they would not have to be fed during the winter. Hens and geese offered the possibility of fresh meat throughout the year and...provided eggs. Other birds and animals were hunted. These included seabirds of all kinds, hares, rabbits, wild boar, elk, deer, seals, whales...reindeer. Both whale and seal meat were considered delicacies...The meat was prepared in a variety of ways. It might be boiled in a cauldron of iron or soapstone suspended over the open fire from a tripod or hung on chains from a roof beam. For preservation, meat was pickled in whey or brine, smoked, dried, or salted. Salt was obtained from boiling sea water or seaweed after which the crystals were gathered...fish played an important part in the diet. Cod and coalfish were the most important fish in Norway, western Jutland in Denmark, and the Norse colonies in the North Atlantic. In the Baltic and in the Danish waters, herring was the most important fish. When not eaten fresh, herring was typically salted, whereas cod was...wind dried. The dried cod was called stockfish because it hung over a rod, or stock, while drying...Freshwater fish...salmon, perch, and pike was also consumed, as was shellfish...shrimp, mussels, and oysters... Barley as the main cereal...in Iceland it was probably the only grain cultivated. It was used for making porridge and for baking bread. Malted barley was used for making ale, to which hops might be added for flavor. Rye...was commonly used for baking bread, as was oat, which was also used for porridge. Although wheat was grown in Scandinavia, it appears to have been rare and expensive, and 'white bread' was probably a luxury reserved for the wealthy...Some breads were unleavened while others were leavened with yeast. Barley is the main ingredient, but some breads are mixed with other grains, linseed, pea flour, or pine bark...Vegetables, fruits, berries, and nuts provided important nutritional supplements. The most common vegetables were probably cabbages, onions, peas, beans, beets, and endives, which were all locally grown...fruits, such as apples, pears, cherries, plums, blueberries, cloudberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, were found in large areas of Scandinavia and could be picked wherever they grew. The were eaten raw or dried and may also have been used to make fruit wine...The only wild nut known in Scandinavia in the Viking age was hazelnut. Shells of walnuts have been found in excavations, but these nuts are believed to have been imported. ...To season the foods, salt, herbs, and spices were used. Cumin, mustard, and horseradish...parsley, dill, cress, mint, marjoram, thyme, angelica, and wild garlic may probably have been added. Other more exotic species would have been imported. Honey was the traditional sweetener and was used as a base for sweet, fermented mead."
(Daily Life of the Vikings, Kirsten Wolf [Greenwood Press:Westport CT] 2004. p. 82-83)

How did the Vikings preserve their food?

"The Viking invaders came from a region where conditions had favored drying as a method of food preservation form the earliest times of settlement in Scandinavia. The long, cold winters had made food preservation a priority, and the abundant supply of fish, together with the cold, dry air, fostered a long and resilient practice of drying fish. Even while at sea, the Vikings crucified their catches of cod in the rigging of their ships to dry in the freezing sea winds until the fish were as hard a planks. In the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway, where the Gulf Stream delivers giant shoals of fish, they still hang sides of cod on high hurdles in the cold, spring air to dry until exceedingly hard and amost indestructible. The Norwegians have successfully exported this resulting stokkfisk (stockfish) for many years."
(Pickled, Potted and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World, Sue Shepard [Simon & Schuster:New York] 2000. p. 37)

"Meat and fish were preserved by smoking (the smoky upper reaches of the longhouse helped to keep meat hung there from spoiling), pickling in brine or whey (in which the lactic acid prevented food spoilage), salting, or drying. Smoked lamb hanging from the kitchen beams in the longhouse at Eir¡kssta ir is shown to the left. Despite its thoroughly unappetizing appearance, the meat is delicious. On the right are fish drying outdoors in an open shed in modern Iceland. The dry, cold winds remove the moisture and preserve the fish."
(Source: Hurstwic)

"With no fridges or freezers our Viking family has to take special measures to stop their food going bad. Meat and fish can be smoked or rubbed with salt. Fruit can be dried; grains are made into bread or ale. Dairy produce such as milk is made into cheese. Cooking the meat will make it last a little longer, making sausages will make it last longer still."
(Source: Viking Food/Russell Scott [BBC])

Everyday meals

"Viking-age Scandinavians ate two meals a day, one on the morning and one in the evening. The food was served in the main hall, and people ate sitting in the raised platforms along the long walls of the house. Well-to-do people probably had tables and tablecloths. People normally ate with their fingers off flat wooden trenchers. A sort-bladed knife, which they typically carried around with them, was used to chop up food. Some foods, such as porridge, soups, and stews, were served in wooden bowls and eaten with spoons of wood or antler. Ale and mead were drunk from the horns of cattle, which might be ornamented with metal mounts...Other beverages were drink from wooden cups or silver bowls. The latter were probably reserved for wine. Glasses, which had to be imported, were uncommon and used only by wealthy people. The types of food consumed...varied from region to region and depended upon available resources, but it is reasonable to assume that the diet was based primarily on dairy produce, meat, and fish."
(Daily Life of the Vikings, Kirsten Wolf [Greenwood Press:Westport CT] 2004. p. 81)

Feasting time

"Feasts called for more elaborate preparation: 'The lady of the house spread an embroidered cloth of white linen on the table and placed loaves of white wheaten bread on it. Then she set out many dishes of fine ham and roasted fowls as well as silver jugs containing wine. They ate, drank and talked until the day was done."
The Vikings, Michael Gibson [Wayland Publishers:London] 1972. p. 31)

"Feasting was the most common social diversion in the Viking age. It provided respite from labor and opportunities for physical relaxation. The feasts included seasonal celebrations and commemorations of personal events. In origin both were associated with pagan sacrifices, and although Christian leaders tried to purge these ceremonial feasts of pagan elements, they retained the timing of them and associate with commemorative days of Christianity or the feast days of saints...the size and grandeur of the feast depended on the occasion and the host's social and economic status. A royal feast would no doubt have been quite extravagant with an elaborate spread of food and drink and lasted several days...The feasts probably did not differ substantially from those held elsewhere in Europe, but there is reason to believe that they were rowdier and involved heavier drinking...When the drinking horn was passed, a man could not refuse unless he was old or sick."
Daily Life of the Vikings, Kirsten Wolf [Greenwood Press:Westport CT] 2004. p. 144-145)

Available in http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq3.html#viking. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.