A Day In The Life Of A 14th Century Princess Versus A Modern One, From Daily Duties To Meals To Romance

These days, the (relatively) rare state banquets at which princesses wear their regalia and tiaras involve dishes being brought out one at a time. (And you can’t possibly sit down at the table until the highest-ranked person or host does, according to Debrett's.) However, that process, known as service a la russe, or Russian service, is actually relatively new-fangled. Before it came into fashion in the 19th century, formal dinners in Europe, including those for royalty, were often constructed differently. They used service a la francaise,in which a lot of dishes were brought to the table at once. And what dishes they were.

The menus for royal feasts from the medieval period would boggle your mind: one course could have upwards of ten dishes, dinners were many courses long, and delicacies included peacock, whale, seal, and porpoise. However, it wasn't the feast of gluttony it appears; diners were only supposed to pick a little from each dish, rather than having an individual portion each. Leftovers were encouraged; they’d often be used to feed servants and other members of the court, or, in the case of seriously lavish feasts like religious festivals and weddings, given out to commoners.