Getting back from a lovely European vacation, my husband and I had an opportunity to tour 12^th century castles in Germany. It is always fascinating to learn about their daily life. It was especially hard for those toiling away in the kitchen. Just think about this for a minute – there were no microwaves, dishwashers, self-cleaning ovens, or any of the other modern conveniences we take for granted. Back in the 12^th century, they knew how to build kitchens. In a medieval castle, kitchens were an important feature as the Lord of the manor would often throw grand banquets and lavish feasts.

In many medieval castles, the kitchen location is below the Great Hall as in the photo above. After preparation, the banquet would be taken upstairs to the guests. Some castles had kitchens housed in separate buildings to reduce the risk of fire to the primary residence. Still other medieval castle kitchens were located in the great hall.

A benefit of having the kitchen in the main castle was that it also served to heat the building. Many castles that had kitchens in the primary structure also had separate stone staircases used by the servants to deliver the food. …more