Station: [10] Falconry and princely food

Hunting in Starigard provided a wide range of raw materials: meat, for example, which provided a welcome change on the menu. However, the hunters also went after fur-bearing animals such as the red fox, squirrels, beavers or wildcats. The bones and antlers of the animals were of course also put to good use. And: during that time there were dangerous predators in Starigard such as the brown bear and the wolf which threatened both man and animal. They were also hunted. Every free citizen was entitled to hunt, while falconry was reserved for the nobility. In line with the western model, this form of hunting with trained birds reflected the pompous court of the prince.
Slavic princes hunted hares with the powerful female hawk. The thinner female sparrowhawks were used for hunting partridges, snipes and common wood pigeons. The chart behind you shows the menu of the fort nobility. It was only possible to light a large fire in stones in the hall of the prince. It was only here that large amounts of meat could be prepared in heavy iron cauldrons which hung on chains from the ceiling. Livestock breeding was successful in Staligard in the 10th century. The pig had replaced cattle as the most important supplier of meat. House poultry could also be found regularly on the menu, as well as mutton, goat and venison.

The Oldenburg prince demonstrated his leader standing by way of refining the food culture, just as he did with his buildings and the outstanding quality if his inventory and tableware. For example, two different types of plum were introduced in Oldenburg, and the morello cherry as a special delicacy. Top quality wheat such as bread wheat, rye and spelt were used to bake bread. Vegetables were cultivated here too, such as celery and the yellow carrot. And fruits such as brambles, blueberries or rose hip and a variety of wild herbs like caraway and dill rounded off the princely meals.