“Meat, Mead, Medicine, Food and Feasting in the Middle Ages” will be shared by Ashley Castelino of the University of Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute during the Highwood Chamber of Commerce’s July Spill Session.
This program of conversation and experiences will be from 6-8 p.m. on July 30 at Disotto, 310 Green Bay Road, Highwood. The charge of $30 includes the presentation, a welcome beverage, light bites, and a commemorative salt and pepper takeaway.
For reservations, visit highwoodchamber.com/events/spill-sessions-1.
Feasting in the Middle Ages is an interest of Castelino’s for a variety of reasons.
“I am a medievalist, so I’ve always had an interest in that side of things,” Castelino said. “In my own life, I love food, I love cooking. I love trying new dishes and learning about new cuisines.”
As a result, he said, “I’ve been diving into this wonderful, crazy world of medieval food and trying to figure out how so much of what we eat today has this long and very rich history.”
Castelino indicated that he has found it fascinating that during the medieval period, as people journeyed and discovered new lands, they brought back new foods. He noted that it was particularly apparent in the homes of the aristocrats, yielding rich, luxurious dishes.
“Something quite strange is that saffron as an ingredient seems to pop up everywhere in all of the recipe books,” Castelino revealed, noting that it’s a very expensive spice.
Castelino said that he will be sharing the interconnection between medicine and food at that time during his presentation. One example is that scientific texts during that period talked about how almonds are good for the brain.
He revealed that, during the Dark Ages, “The people were so interested in science and medicine and experimentation, and really trying to bring it all together.”
Castelino will also share some surprises, including the fact that “food was so important that in some places it became currency,” he said. There were actually places where you could pay your rent in pepper!
Castelino will share many other fascinating details about early feasting.
“I really find him to be inspiring,” said Jennifur Condon, Executive Director of the Highwood Chamber of Commerce, about Castelino. Initially, though, she didn’t invite him to talk about medieval food.
“As we began to talk about Highwood and the fact that I consider it a culinary mecca of the North Shore, Castelino told Condon, ‘One of the other things I talk about is medieval food,’” she related.
Condon decided that it was “a perfect topic for Highwood. People understand that food is more than what’s on the plate. It’s culture and hospitality, commerce, and community. And that lives on from the medieval days to the present.”
Condon chose to ask Disotto to host the Spill Session because it’s a “fantastic venue,” she declared. “We’re going to be in the rustic cellar space. It’s filled with old-world character and eclectic charm. It feels like it could have hosted centuries of conversation around food, drink and storytelling.”
The bites served will fit Castelino’s medieval food theme. “We’ll have bread with honey and goat cheese. We’ll have bruschetta with different toppings,” Condon reported, among other treats.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
