In a bit of a series of observations related to building a world, spread across a year or so, I thought I would follow up with another topic, this time on the common fantasy stereotype of medieval food, why it’s such a common trope of fantasy works, and why a full-out new menu of food is not on the minds of the creators.
I should note that this isn’t an attack on the foundations of a lot of stories. It is just a curiosity about why many worlds choose food and drink from the 1400s, and how much revolves around that.
I write about distant worlds and the features contained in them. Most definitely, this falls under either science fiction or fantasy, or a mix of both. With science fiction, you get aliens. With fantasy, you get creatures and beasts. With science fiction, you get ray guns; and with fantasy, you get magic. Some of these tropes parallel each other in similarities for whatever genre of a story you are experiencing. Whatever feature you can come up with in one, there is something similar in end result in the other.
I write about distant worlds, their people, their societies and civilizations, their battles and their burdens. In science fiction or fantasy, there is a varied amount of elements that make up those worlds, as I’ve found, that form the context of the plot and the characters. For obvious reasons, worlds tend to have the same type of geographical features to suit the people and their inhabitants. That is a given.
However, in many cases I’ve come across, the one thing that nearly always stays the same, at least in the genre of fantasy, is the selection of food.
I always found it interesting that, in a massive bulk of works, there is the stereotype fantasy tavern with wine and ale and drink; with dancing, fighting, swearing, and drunken love-making. It seems to be the staple of many, the one that we go to when creating an imaginary society that thrives on drunkenness or magic alcohol-boosting enzymes. They drink merrily, eat happily, and sleep tightly; then, they’re on the next leg of their long, endearing journey. It seems a large portion of those fantasy worlds are set in a specific era, and are stuck there.
So, why isn’t there a lot of variation? After all, if many are lands of mystical wonder, then surely, there should be some wondrous foodstuffs and treats, eh?
Why Do We Use The Medieval Stereotype?
I think there’s a few good reasons why we stick to basics with food. To focus on that medieval stereotype, I reckon it is one started by the likes of Tolkien back in the early 1900s, and it is where we get the idea from. I liken it to the same concept to how a huge amount of dystopian or cyberpunk fiction is influenced by Blade Runner. It just sticks in our minds, never leaves our memories, and we reference some of that as a basis or foundation for an imaginary setting. Obviously, tales beforehand had the same type of thing, but until Tolkien’s era, it was not as vividly implanted in our heads, even in the most detailed of historical texts.
I reckon the second reason is because the medieval period is a huge portion of history that we draw from. The concept of ale and wine in a goblet is a vivid template that spurns all sorts of things. The tavern, the waitresses, the barkeep, eating legs of chicken and turkey breasts, drinking pints of beer, chewing apart piece of bread—it’s so simple, yet such a dynamic mixture of elements that define a society outside that produced a wide range of results. It defines that imaginary society inside and out.
There is a very important third reason why everyone sticks to that sort of cliche series of real-world foods: it’s because it comes from the real world. In a world where human-like people (elves, dwarves, whatever) roam the lands, we instinctively associate those people with many real-world elements—therefore, we have chicken, beef, ales, wines, and all the other standard foods reminiscent of the dark ages and beyond. You wouldn’t see Legolas enjoying a Quiche Lorraine at some point in The Lord of the Rings, would you? It doesn’t fit the time period, it doesn’t fit the fashion in relation to the food, it is not top of mind. We associate medieval cuisine with medieval times, and as a result, we associate medieval times with medieval cuisine. You can’t have buffets of chicken balls and a chef’s salad in an era where a community of people share a roast pig over a rotisserie and drink ale to stay healthy. It just does not logically connect in our minds.
Is that a bad thing? Given how many works revolve around medieval food, the answer is most certainly no. In fact, just thinking of what would be in my next instalment of The Severis Tales, I was thinking of basic salad and potatoes. The hearty stuff. It’s not medieval food, but then again, that world isn’t really in the medieval times, is it?
Can You Escape That Stereotype?
The answer is most definitely yes—that is, if you’re willing to put the work into it, and I mean really work it. The whole point of creating any sort of fantasy world is you are only bound by your imagination. There are small variations on things (turtle-ducks in the Avatar universe, for instance), but what about full-on new species to spice up that pub grub?
Take, for instance, a pub that serves rotisserie meat that came from an animal that has blue skin and snorts flames. You’ve basically identified a whole new animal; now, you have to give some background to it. What is the mysterious animal? A pig? A bull? A horse? A boar? Where do these wonders of mystery graze? Are they farmed? Are they hunted in the wilderness? What makes them unique that they would have blue skin and snort flames? How are you doing so far?
I believe the ultimate reason why we default to ales and standard farmland animals is because they’re already there. They tick all the boxes of what we want, and conforms to the right time period for many worlds. Furthermore, with very little work involved, you’ve laid out much of the food and drink, not to mention, providing what kind of animals inhabit your lands. Of course, you can add new dishes and drinks to customize your world; but be prepared for the potential and large amount of extra creative work that applies.
A Suggestion On Creating Unique Food and Drink
Sometimes I am of the over-ambitious type where I want to do everything. Sometimes I get so stuck into it, I can’t dig myself back out. On top of that, there’s no guarantee that what you’ve done will resonate with your readers’ imaginations, or your own for that matter.
If you want variation (and I do think it is a good idea for uniqueness), then start with the basic building blocks. Add slight alternatives. Some things are much easier to explain than others, like blue seaweed (off the top of my head). Describing a wine made from specific berries or whatever works as well, because those types of things already have a wide range of variation.
When you’re comfortable with what you have, try a little bit more. Try some simple variations on wild animals. The blue-coloured, fire-snorting boar from above is too far a leap. Take out the blue colour, and, whatever your world is like, you have a new animal that is still interesting but with only some variation to whatever wild or giant boars roam elsewhere.
With some practice, you will have created an alternative set of meals and drinks that are very relatable to our real-world counterparts, but have that spin that gives your concoctions a unique identity. If you’re feeling brave, you could extend that concept of the food you created and apply it contextually to the other parts of your world. Culture plays a large influence on the type of foods we have today. If that is the sort of thing you wish to explore, then be brave and try it!
Suggestion #2
Just don’t fiddle with the damn thing. Stick to potatoes and roasted chickens. Like I said above, more often than usual, the lazy way of identifying your world’s food and drink is often the best. It may sound boring, but there is such a thing as being too creative.
Any thoughts? Let me know what you think.