Medieval Food Traditions in Northern Europe

Papers from an International Research Project: The HANSA Network 2001–2006. History can be colourful and even very appetising when different research disciplines are melted together. In this book, botanical data from archaeological excavations are combined with historical knowledge on the use of plants during medieval and early modern times. The result is a comprehensive account of the introduction of new plant foods, including exotic fruits and spices, into the traditional medieval societies of Northern Europe. One of the prime motivating factors for the authors of this book was a desire to summarize and present, for the first time, the botanical data deriving from archaeological deposits excavated in Germany, Northern Poland, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway; countries involved in the trading activities of the Hanse. The geographical frame is centred on Northern and Central Europe, enclosing primarily the countries delimited by the North Sea and the Baltic. Results are presented from an area stretching from Bergen in the west to Tallinn in the east, from Turku in the north to the cities of the Rhineland in the south. Between the 12th and 17th centuries, this great area had one thing in common, the strict control of trading activities exerted by German traders belonging to the Hanseatic League. This comprehensive publication deals with finds of plant material arising from the archaeological excavation of sites dating from this period.