Dr.Sc.Hist., Professor I.V. Maslova¹
PhD, Associate Professor I.E. Krapotkina¹
PhD, Associate Professor V.A. Martynova^2
1Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University, Elabuga
²Kuban State University of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism, Krasnodar

Keywords: dietary models, medieval period, nutrition, food culture, physical health

Background. National food cultures and traditions are many centuries old and still retained to some extent in the modern dietary models the world over. We overviewed herein the medieval Western European and Russian dietary traditions to track their heritage in the modern food cultures. Studies of that kind are increasingly relevant for the health theory and practice since the modern dietary models are given a special attention by the physical health, intellectual activity and healthy lifestyle advancement initiatives.

Objective of the study was to analyze the medieval food cultures and traditions and their historical heritage in the modern dietary models.

Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study historical analysis and comparative analysis to identify and rate the Western European and Russian dietary models and track their heritage in the modern food cultures. A special priority was given to the medieval and modern food behavior and traditions, foodstuffs and diets. We run a questionnaire survey to profile modern diets of the Russian population age groups and classify their food priorities and preferences in the context of the historical food cultures. We sampled for the survey 96 respondents grouped into the 20-30 year-old Group 1 and 45-60 year-old Group 2. It is a common knowledge that the medieval able-bodied population was dominated by the 20-45 year-olds, and this was the prime reason for the sample grouping with a certain retrospective emphasis. We analyzed for the purposes of the study the relevant medieval historical literature including notes by Caesar, Mauritius Strategist, Charlemagne, and medieval Russian ‘Domostroy’ – to reconstruct the medieval food cultures.

Results and discussion. It was rather habitual and traditional since the early Middle Age to unconsciously train the body for military purposes rather than physical fitness and health needs as such. Western Europe in the early medieval period was invaded by barbarian groups with their war-driven cultures. Male warriors of that period hardened by the harsh lifestyles with constant trainings and battles may be viewed a historical model of a physically healthy and harmonic individual. Y. Caesar wrote: “They rely mostly on the livestock than bread in their foods; and they hunt a lot” [4, p. 59]. It should be mentioned that the medieval West European diets were generally income-dependent and not necessarily healthy enough. “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are” states a medieval German proverb. On the whole, dietary models of that period may be grouped into the rather limited and primitive for the general population and privileged for the aristocracy.

An analysis of the “Capitulary of estates” gives an idea of how the aristocratic diets looked like in the early 9th century. For the royal family food supply, the estates kept a livestock of pigs, cows, sheep, goat, poultry (chickens, geese, pheasants, partridges and ducks); with a special priority given to the quality and freshness of the food served for the emperor's table.

The ordinary people’s diets were designed to secure rather endurance than a sheer physical strength for the hard endless work. The European commoners were content with cereals and stews of grain. As noted by F. Braudel, “the trinity of grain, flour and bread” dominated in the-then food cultures across Europe, and this trinity was in fact a number one priority for the municipalities, governments, merchants and other people for whom "eating your own bread" was synonymic to living [1, p. 158]. It was rather seldom for peasants and artisans to eat meat or poultry at that time. Their diets included mostly beans, turnips, peas, onions and garlic, with very limited shares of fruits and virtually no sugar until the XVI century.

Medieval Russian food supplies were secured by gathering, fishing and hunting, harvests of wild cereals, berries, nuts, mushrooms, wild honey etc. With progress of agriculture and cattle breeding, the peasants’ food traditions were gradually changed by the growing supplies of bread, cereals, dairy products, eggs, fish, meat and honey [3, p. 253-257]. The top nobility could afford plentiful feasts – for example, Prince Vladimir held weekly feasts for the noblemen including ‘boyars’ (war commanders) and the best combatants.

Since the Christianity came to Russia with its fasting traditions, the consumption of meat, milk, and eggs was limited. "Domostroy" describes in detail the Russian dietary models of the 16th century giving many dietary recommendations both to the aristocracy and commoners. Thus it gives instructions on the servants’ meals for non-fasting periods with detailed portions of sieve bread, cabbage soup, liquid porridge with ham, porridge steamed with bacon, meat for lunch, milk or porridge; and meals for the fasting days including cabbage soup, modest cereals, peas, baked turnip, oatmeal, pickles, and tops for dinner. “Serve on Sundays and holidays for dinner some kind of cake or thick porridge, or vegetables, or herring porridge, pancakes and jelly ...” [2, p. 156-157].

On the whole, both the European and Russian medieval diets were fully determined by the social ranks rather than the actual needs of the group physical or intellectual labor. Typically the food supplies were insufficient in quality and quantity, with meals taken at most twice a day. The diets were further imbalanced by frequent fasts, usual shortages of readily digestible foods, and overeating on holidays. The dietary models have been changed with time under influence of many social and economic factors to evolve into the modern diversity of food cultures and dietary models, as demonstrated by the following findings of our questionnaire survey.

The question “How many meals a day do you prefer?” was responded as follows: in Group 1, 90% prefer 3 meals a day and 10% two meals a day; and in Group 2, 88%  reported 3 meals a day; and 22% fractional diets with up to 5 meals a day. The question “Do you fast on religious grounds?” was responded positively by only 11% and 36% of Groups 1 and 2, respectively.

When comparing the historical and modern diets in the context of motor activity, it is important to realize that the medieval physical activity was dominated by hard labor and military service; whilst the modern physical activity is dictated mostly the health and physical development agendas. Thus the question “What is your physical activity and weekly physical trainings?” was responded as follows. In Group 1, 60% reported being physically active, with 70% trained 3-4 times a week; 20% 2-3 times a week; and 10% every day. In Group 2, 40% reported being physically active and trained 2-3 times a week.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses showed an imbalanced nutrition being of influence on the physical development both in the medieval period and nowadays. The medieval diets were basically determined by the social statuses and income levels within the social strata; and limited by one or two meals per day. They were heavily imbalanced by the religious fasts, shortages of food supplies, with the diets generally being too poor to satisfy the needs of the hard physical labor and, therefore, resulted in the premature aging, health issues and incapacities. A questionnaire survey of the modern able-bodied population groups showed the modern food cultures and dietary models being dictated mostly by the physical health and development agendas. These priorities are manifested in the high individualization of the modern nutritional habits, wide range of the foodstuffs available on the market, generally negligent attitudes to the religious fasts, growing awareness of the healthy balanced dietary models and sensitivity to the physical health and development related contexts of the modern diets.

References

1. Brodel F. Material civilization, economics and capitalism of the XV - XVIII centuries. V. 1. Struktury povsednevnosti [Everyday life structures]. Moscow, 1986. 623 p.
2. Dmitriev L.A. Household book. 3rd ed. St. Petersburg: Nauka publ., 2007. pp. 156-157.
3. Mauritius Strategist. About Slavs and Ants, the end of the 6th century The ancient Slavs ... Vestnik drevney istorii. 1941. no. 1. pp. 253-257.
4. Guy Julius Caesar Caesar "Notes on the Gallic War". A reader on the history of the Middle Ages. Ed. N.P. Gratsiansky, S.D. Skazkin. Мoscow, 1949. v. 1. pp. 58-61.

Corresponding author: ikrapotkina@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze the medieval food cultures and traditions and their historical heritage in the modern dietary models.
Methods and structure of the study. The authors used a comparative historical analysis to identify and compare medieval eating patterns in Europe and Russia. An ascertaining experiment was conducted to determine the nutritional habits of modern Russians and their dependence on the level of motor activity. Sampled for the questionnaire survey were 20-30 and 45-60 year-old individuals (n=96 including 40 youngsters and 56 middle-aged people) residing in Krasnodar, Naberezhny Chelny, Elabuga. The method of descriptive statistics was applied to analyse the data obtained.

Results and conclusions. The authors identified the effects of man's eating pattern on his physical development, both from the historical perspective and at present. The balanced meal composition depends on individual characteristics that were not taken into account in the medieval period, which, combined with the lack of dependence between the eating pattern and level of motor activity, led to early physical depreciation. The analysis of the results of the questionnaire survey of modern Russians showed that their eating patterns have changed significantly and are increasingly seen as a way to support physical health. This manifests itself in the individualization of eating patterns, expansion of the diet, "soft" attitude to fasts, introduction of a balanced diet, desire to consider the motor activity indicators.