From the Hoax:
- Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel
quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their
bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring
home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests
and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
The Facts:
Meat was indeed scarce for the poorest peasants, but the one type of meat they were most likely to have was meat they could preserve for an extended period. This was done by smoking, curing or salting. In medieval Europe, the most popular meat for smoking was pork.1 Smoked and cured ham or bacon would be edible far longer than any other type of meat, and thus was a thrifty choice for a peasant on the edge of starvation. Bacon was therefore no status symbol. Freshly-slaughtered meat was more of a special treat among peasants.
Bacon (and just about every other foodstuff that was stored indoors) was indeed hung from the rafters, but not for display. It was done simply to keep it off the floor, away from rats and other vermin.2
The food situation was much different in the homes of well-to-do townfolk and castle-dwellers. The amount of food prepared on a daily basis in a castle kitchen was staggering, and included such items as ale, wine, bread, orchard fruits, wild fruits, wild nuts, onions, peas, beans, garden vegetables, fresh fish, dried fish, shellfish, beef, mutton, goose, wild game and -- yes! -- pork. This doesn't include the delicacies served on special occasions or to very great lords, such as lamb, veal, suckling pig, hedgehog or swan, or imported items like almonds, dates, oranges, raisins, figs, and pomegranates.3
For these prosperous people and their households, "chewing the fat" was not a common pastime. Nor was it a phrase used in the sixteenth century. Informal sources indicate that both "bringing home the bacon" and "chewing the fat" originated in 19th-century North America, but currently I have no confirmation. If you have any sources concerning either phrase, please feel free to post them on our bulletin board.
Next: Tomatoes
Return to Introduction.
Notes
1. "smoking" Encyclopædia Britannica
<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=70096>
[Accessed April 12, 2002].
2. Gies, Frances & Gies, Joseph, Life in a Medieval Village (HarperPerennial, 1991), p. 93.
3. Information about everyday food and delicacies was derived from Gies, Frances & Gies, Joseph, Life in a Medieval Castle (HarperPerennial, 1974), p. 114 and from ffiona Swabey, "The Household of Alice de Bryene," in Food and Eating in Medieval Europe (The Hambledon Press, 1998), pp. 135-36.
