Heilag graut, franske hagar og barn døypte i øl – Skrift, arkeologi og botanikk som kjelder til matkultur i mellomalderen

Abstract

This article explores food culture in medieval Oslo, c. 1200–1350, with the ongoing Follo Line Project as a backdrop. We combine archaeobotanical and osteolo- gical material, archaeological artefacts, and historical sources – many of which are orders and ideals issued by the Church – to see how the different sources complement each other, and whether they can contribute to new understandings of the medieval town. We discuss this in an effort to evoke new images of medieval meals, local ingredients, and overseas imports. We also provide examples of how both the influence of the Church and foreign cultural impulses have contributed to the development of medieval food culture in Norway. Furthermore, we see that combining written sources and archaeobotanical material sheds light on the character of the King’s garden at Øra, which possibly was inspired by the eighth-century document Capitulare de Villis, originating in Carolingian Francia.