It's finally happening: Ricky is pulling out all the stops to create a historically accurate Viking Feast!!! It's coming up on Saturday, July 29th at the Mead Hall! And, better yet, you're invited!
This is, perhaps, Ricky's most audacious project yet. While the full menu will be released in a few days, we thought we'd talk a little bit about the sources used for the meal.
Vikings ate a very varied diet. They fished, foraged, farmed, hunted, traded, and stole. What we'll be focusing on are the staples of the Viking diet: Fish, seasonal vegetables, cold-hearty grains, dairy, and beef.
While Ricky has studied primary sources for references to cooking techniques, much of what we know about the Viking diet is archeological. Alas, Ricky does not have time (or permission) to go digging up yards in Northumbria or the Faroe islands, so we have to rely on the work of others.
A great, quick reference is from the BBC, and we used it quite extensively.
Not quite as erudite, but a fun read is from The History Channel.
And the last secondary resource we used was Ancient History et cetera.
So, go check out the Facebook Event, and get ready to have your mind blown!