The boar's head in hand bear I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you, my masters, be merry,

The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland

Our Steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of Bliss,
Which on this day to be served is

Hear The Boar's Head Carol

When you sit down for your Christmas dinner this year, you may be thinking that your heavily laden table may be a bit excessive. To learn the true meaning of excessive, you'd have to attend a medieval Christmas feast, when the feasting and merriment went on for up to fifteen days and the tables groaned under the weight of the twelve course Christmas dinner!

There was good reason for celebration at Christmas time. No work was required for two weeks and besides the Christmas feast, there were several others.

The Christmas season brought with it the annual wild boar hunt, a dangerous but exciting sport that brought in the prized Christmas dish, wild boar. Also hunted were deer, geese, pheasant, swans, and other game. Peacocks, chickens, doves, cattle and other domesticated stock were also prepared for the great feasat.


The most prized and festive dishes were the Wild Boar, Roast Swan and Peacock, which were prepared to be both a visual and culinary delight at the tables of the nobility.

The Boar's head was stuffed and the head boiled for hours. It was then placed on a large platter and surrounded with slices of truffles and apples and strewn with rosemary. It was carried into the hall to a fanfare of trumpets.

The feathers of the swan and the peacock were carefully removed before roasting them. When the roasts were done, the feathers were put back over them to make a magnificent display on the table.

Peacocks were not always roasted, sometimes they were made into a pie called "cock and pie". The head, still feathered, would be placed at one end of the pie, the tail plumage at the other.

The best parts of the deer were served at the tables of the nobility, with the remaining parts, such as the liver, heart, feet and so on, going to the poor people, who called them 'umbles. The poor would make them into pie, which was called "humble pie".

Mince pies were made, a rich, spicy mixture of fruits and meats eaten with great relish, for eating them was thought to bring great fortune.

Christmas puddings of the time were a spicy type of porridge called "frumenty". This was a thick porridge with currants and dried fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg. This was considered to be a real treat.

In addition to the special dishes, there were meat pies, puddings, roast beef, geese, chicken, cakes, breads, sweets, fruits, filling the table in twelve courses, complete with ale, mead and wine.

Take hony; boyle hit a lytill. Do theryn sigure, poudyr of galentyn & clovis, brucet anneyce, safron, & saundris, & cast theryn the peris, sodyn & paryd & cutt in pecys, & wyn & venyger. Sesyn hit up with poudyr of canell so that hit be broun ynow.

Translation from Gode Cookery: Pears in Syrup.

Take honey; boil it a little. Add sugar, spices, cloves, anise sauce, saffron, & sandalwood, & add the pears, boiled & pared & cut in pieces, & wine & vinegar. Season it with enough cinnamon powder that it is brown.

Modern Recipe from Gode Cookery.

3 lbs. pears, peeled, cored, & sliced
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. of any of the following spices, separate or in combination: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cubeb, galingale, etc.
1 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. anise seed, crushed, mixed with 1/4 tsp. sugar
few threads saffron (or a few drops yellow food coloring)
few drops red food coloring
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbs. cider vinegar
cinnamon (to garnish)

Boil the pears in water until just tender; drain and set aside. Add enough water (about a teaspoon or so) to the anise/sugar mixture to make a thin sauce. Bring the honey to a low boil; remove the scum as it rises to the surface. Add sugar, spices, anise sauce, & food coloring(s) and continue cooking until sugar is dissolved. Gently stir in pears and the wine & vinegar. cook for a few more minutes, until pears have warmed, then remove from heat. Serve hot or cold, garnished with cinnamon on top.