Today, the Vikings are celebrated as a proud, warlike folk, well known for their mythology and elaborate funerals. The Viking diet, however, is a mystery to most people. What did these warriors eat to survive in such a forbidding landscape? As it turns out, their food was healthy, fresh, and even a poor Viking ate much better than an English peasant during the Middle Ages. That’s not to say that the Viking diet didn’t have inadequacies, but on the whole, the Viking diet was a model of efficiency and innovation in a time when cooks had to make the most out of some very limited ingredients.
A major benefit of the Viking diet was the fact that every level of society, from kings to common sailors, ate meat every day. Often this would have been pork, as hogs were easy to raise and quick to mature, but Vikings also ate beef, mutton and goats. Horses were also raised for food, a practice that led to later clashes with Christian leaders, as horsemeat was a forbidden food under church doctrine. Vikings were avid hunters, and would capture reindeer, elk and even bear to bring back to the hearth fires. And of course, since Vikings spent so much time on the water, fish formed a major part of their diet. Herrings were abundant, and prepared in a plethora of ways: dried, salted, smoked, pickled and even preserved in whey.
While we might tend to think of Vikings standing over huge roasting pits with joints of mutton dripping onto hot coals, evidence suggests roasting and frying weren’t the favored cooking methods of the time. In fact, Vikings most often boiled their meats. Indeed, the centerpiece of the day’s meals was a boiled meat stew, called skause.
As meats and vegetables were taken out of the pot, new ones were added, and the broth became concentrated over days of cooking. Skause was eaten with bread baked with all sorts of grains, beans and even tree bark–birch bark can be dried and ground and is actually very nutritious. Vikings used old bread dough to make sourdough loaves, and would also use soured milk and buttermilk to enrich their breads.
Vegetables and fruits were much more wild than any of our modern varieties. Carrots would have been added to the daily skause, but they weren’t orange; white carrots were the only ones available. Viking farmers cultivated cabbages, beans, peas and endive, and wild apples and berries were also available to Middle Age diners. A wide range of herbs and seasonings helped flavor Viking food, with spices like coriander, cumin, mustard and wild horseradish making an appearance at the table.
Despite the overall balanced nature of the Viking diet, there were some major pitfalls. We know from archeological excavations of Viking cesspits and sewers that most Vikings suffered from parasites in their intestines: Bluntly put, they had worms. And the same cesspit excavations revealed undigested seeds from the whole wheat breads Vikings ate, some of which came from weeds that are highly poisonous to humans.
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FAQs
Modern analysis reveals that the Viking diet consisted of approximately 35 to 40% fats, 30 to 35% protein, and 30% carbohydrates – surprisingly similar to the high-performance diets favored by today's bodybuilders. Viking meals were hearty, fatty, and tasty to comfort and warm.
What was the diet of a Viking? ›
Vikings ate hearty meals with meat, dairy, grains, fruit and vegetables to maintain their energy, since their everyday activities included exploring unknown lands and sailing the open waters. In fact, during the Middle Ages, even a poor Viking had a diet that was considerably better than that of an English peasant.
What vegetables were in the Viking diet? ›
Did Vikings include fruits and vegetables in their diet? Yes, Vikings did include fruits and vegetables in their diet. They primarily consumed whatever they could cultivate or forage, including apples, berries, cabbages, onions, and leeks, providing essential vitamins and nutrients in their diet.
What did Vikings eat to get so big? ›
The Viking Age was not a time in which to worry about the fat content of food. The Vikings needed all the energy that they could get in the form of fat – especially in winter. Meat, fish, vegetables, cereals and milk products were all an important part of their diet.
Did Vikings eat eggs? ›
They ate beef, goat, pork, mutton, lamb, chicken and duck and occasionally horsemeat. The chickens and ducks produced eggs, so the Vikings ate their eggs as well as eggs gathered from wild seabirds. . Because most Vikings lived on the coast, they ate all kinds of fish, both ocean-going and freshwater fish.
Did Vikings eat oatmeal? ›
The Vikings had several options, when it came to making porridge. It could be made from barley, oats, buckwheat or millet. They mixed berries and apples into the porridge to add sweetness. Porridge was typically part of the daily food intake, especially that of the poor.
What was Ragnar's diet? ›
Studies suggest a 3:1 or 4:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, especially following a run longer than an hour. Shakes are easy to digest and don't take up much room. You can also bring recovery protein powder and mix with water for a quick recovery drink. Ragnar is a true, one-of-a-kind adventure.
Did Vikings eat pizza? ›
Surprisingly the Norse diet consisted of a lot of herbs and spices that we now consider Mediterranean tastes today. That still doesn't mean they ate Pizza! The Icelandic historian, poet, and politician Snorri Sturluson (AD 1178-1241) mentioned the bread dish – brauddiskar – in his sagas.
How many times a day do Vikings eat? ›
Unlike modern Norwegians, Vikings tended to only eat two meals per day. These were known as dagmal and nattmal, which meant a day meal and night meal.
What was the average height and weight of a Viking? ›
The skeletons that the archaeologists have found, reveals, that a man was around 172 cm tall (5.6 ft), and a woman had an average height of 158 cm (5,1 ft). People who had access to more or better food in the Viking age were often taller than the average person due to having a better lifestyle.
Wild fruit and berries grew abundantly in the Viking period. The Vikings could supply themselves with raspberries, bilberries, plums, wild apples and hazelnuts from the woods. Walnuts were also available in some areas. The Vikings knew about the health benefits of eating apples.
Did the Vikings drink alcohol? ›
The Vikings drank strong beer at festive occasions, together with the popular drink of mead. Mead was a sweet, fermented drink made from honey, water and spices. Wine made from grapes was also known of, but had to be imported, from France, for example.
Did Vikings eat yogurt? ›
The most common Scandinavian dish included or was solely skyr, a kind of yogurt which is still produced and consumed, especially in Iceland, in the present day. Skyr would be flavored with berries, apples, or other fruits as well as with grains which were also easily preserved.
Did Vikings eat twice a day? ›
Typically a Viking family would eat twice a day, once an hour after rising and then again in the evening after a day's work on the land. The first meal, the "dagmal" (day meal) would likely be leftover stew from the night before served with bread and pickled or dried fruit.
Is the Nordic diet healthy? ›
By focusing on eating whole foods like fruits and vegetables, the Nordic diet can affect your health in a positive way. Here are some potential benefits: Reduces inflammation. Reduces risk of Type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Were the Vikings healthy? ›
While the general diet was a balanced one and relatively healthy, Vikings still fell prey to illness and were often victims of severe wounds suffered during battles. In addition, worms and parasites were a major problem during the Viking era.
