Eating Habits and Food of the Monks of Palestine in the 5th – 6th c.
Eating Habits and Food of the Monks of Palestine in the 5th – 6th c.

Summary/Abstract: The article is concerned with the eating habits of the monks of Palestine in the 5th–6th centuries. It has been based on and draws from a number of contemporary sources. The staple in the monks’ daily diet was bread, which would be usually eaten with salt. It was made in bakeries that were, along with the church, the most important buildings within the precincts of each monastery, several times during a year and then dried. In addition to the bread, the staple items of food included vegetables (cooked or fresh), most often grown in or near the monastery precincts, or possibly also provided by the faithful. The monasteries, both lauras and coenobitic establishments, had their own vegetable gardens, but the monks would also eat various wild plants. They would drink water, wine, as well as the eukration (a mixture of water and herbs).

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