Let's say I'm the king of England, and I want to hold a lavish feast. What kind of meat would be there? What spices would be used?
Hi, hopefully one of the medieval or food historians will drop by with more info, but meanwhile, you may find these earlier threads interesting
thread in Tuesday Trivia | Eat like a Peasant, Eat like a King - /u/MissCeylon takes a stab at what a Danish Jarl would eat ca. Alfred the Great
thread in Tuesday Trivia | Eat like a Peasant, Eat like a King - /u/keplar shares the Coronation Banquet of King Henry VI of England
In the fantasy series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," kings and high lords are depicted feasting hundreds of guests or more, featuring roasted animals, meat pies, etc.; did feasts of this scale really occur in medieval Europe, and if so, what were the kitchens responsible for them like? - /u/Taliesin_Taleweaver gives us a tour of King Henry VIII's kitchen
Royal chefs in Middle Ages - /u/cecikierk shares the 1553 cookbook of Sabina Welserin
Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books_, Thomas Austin ed., Transcribed by Cindy Renfrow in A thousand eggs or more lists the following Royal feast:
The resultant feast, given for King Richard II by the Bishop of Durham, at Durham House, London, on September 23rd, 1387:
The First Course.
The Second Course.
The Third Course.
Basicly if it isn't a fish day feast its lots of meat, any kind they can get thier hands on, with the rarer dishes served in the later courses after people are full or impressed.
The spices used depended upon both trade, humor theory, and availability. If you stick to saffron, cloves, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, salt, and pepper (various kinds) you are pretty safe.
Cindy Renfrow's book set has a lot of recipes and more feasts listed.