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Viking Food

Some of theViking's foodlike cheeses and smoked meats needed no cooking. Bread was baked and meat roasted on a spit or baked in a deep pit covered with hot stones. Sometimes it was boiled in an iron cauldron.

Foood and soup was eaten in wooden bowls and drink taken from cups made from the horns of animals. The Vikings used knives, fingers and sone very small spoons but no forks. Beer and mead were drunk from the horns of catle.

The Vikings also enjoyed seaweed. During bad winters the Vikings ate anything they could catch, including foxes and ravens. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens were all sources of meat. The people liked also many types of fish, especially eels caught locally and oysters, brought up the rivers from the sea. The favourite vegetables were onions, cabbages, carrots, and peas. People liked also fruit such as apples and plums.

Vikings drank milk, home-brewed beer and mead, a strong drink made from honey. The richer people drand wine, brought over the sea from Germany. There was no sugar, but honey was used as a sweetener. Some herbs were also used such as dill, coriander and mustard.

 

Viking Clothes and Jewellry

It was woman who made most of the family's clothes. hey sheared the sheep and combed the wool to get rid of tangles. Then they spin it into thread, using a weighted piece of wood called a spindle whorl. Woman also made brighty coloured dyes from various plants. Another plant, fax was used to make linen. They dyed the thread and then wove it into cloth on a loom.

Both men and women wore jewellery. The Vikings dressed up in their best clothes and wore their best jewellery for their feasts.

The Vikings raided many Irish monastenes to try to fmd precious metals. Sacred books often had mounts made of silver or gold which were ripped off and taken back for the smiths to melt down and turn into jewellery. The Vikings also collected silver Arab coins which were also melted down for jewellery. The brighter beads were made from glass, or broken drinking glasses, they heated them up together to create bright colours, and fascinating patterns. (see image)

Earrings were dangled from chains looped over the ear. Women also wore gold pendants on the end of their necklaces. A pendent of Thor's hammer was often worn by non Christian people. It is thought that this amulet was worn to keep away evil spirits. Animal heads bite the chain from which the hammer hangs from.

The Christian cross was decorated with a leaf pattern. Just like Thor's Hammer, animal heads bite the ring which the cross hangs from. The grooves were filled with a black compound to make the pattern stand out.


Typical Norse design with animal head biting the ring to keep away evil spirits.

Pages Created: Wednesday, 10-September-97
Material copyright © 1997-2000 M. Hos-McGrane, Grade 6 Class
Web pages by L.C. Swanson.
Graphics by L. Swanson based on an images
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