Hi lovelies, 

in March we attended a medieval dinner in Vienna held by Kochkulturmuseum and it was delicious. Going to medieval markets and seeing all the potato dishes marketed as medieval always makes me wince a bit but this was a complete dinner without potatoes and we even got the information on how, when and where the dishes were eaten. 

So buckle up while I tell you the story of the medieval dinner in Vienna.

On a cold March day we had to leave our cuddly cats and our not-so warm flat to go and taste some real medieval food. 

Medieval food is characterized by a lot of spices, seasonal availability, and religious restrictions. Did you know that during Lent it was okay to eat otters as they were considered "neither fish nor flesh"? Luckily for our meal, we did not receive any otter meat though. 

To get our humours going (see humorism on wikipedia) we received a small dish with lemon and pomegranate. I took one bite and almost spit it out because it was too sour. I was unable to eat it. 

The first course was a (vegan) renaissance mushroom soup with morels from a 1570 recipe by Bartolomeo Scappi. The morels were fresh and it was delicious. We tried to figure out the spices and only tasted a hint of cinnamon. We later learned there was also saffron, verjuice, and pepper in the soup.

"Verjuice is a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit." - Wikipedia

Afterwards we got torte des menagiers, a type of quiche filled with various leafy vegetables and sour cherry compote. Hias got a vegan beans in soup, which was mashed beans with onion and apple confit. The quiche was really juicy and actually my favourite dish. I tasted spinach but I'm not too sure about the rest of the leafy vegetables.

The third and main course was a pork ragout and a chickpea ragout for vegans. 

"It [Chickpea] is one of the earliest cultivated legumes, the oldest archaeological evidence of which was found in Syria." - Wikipedia

The ragout came with cheese gnocchi (there were no potato gnocchi, remember?), onions, ginger, pepper and cloves. It was really good too. We could eat as much as we wanted and could also get second helpings with every dish. Don't mind if I do. 

And finally the dessert, we got pears in syrup, Torta di Marzapane, and candied walnuts. 

At the end of the meal I was truly stuffed and could not imagine how Romans could have dozens of varied dishes.

Look out for more food events from Kochkulturmuseum here!  

And here is my look for that day in my Kaneko knight dress.  

If you enjoy this blog and want to support it, consider leaving a small donation via PayPal. Every bit helps keep things running and lets me keep creating more content just for you. You can donate by clicking the link below:

Thank you so much! 

All the best, 

Auris Lothol

Hello lovelies, 

And here is the video of the medieval market in Eggenburg. 

Enjoy! 

 

 

If you enjoy this blog and want to support it, consider leaving a small donation via PayPal. Every bit helps keep things running and lets me keep creating more content just for you. You can donate by clicking the link below:

Thank you so much! 

All the best, 

Auris Lothol

 

Hello lovelies, 

another medieval festival is over and it was icy and rainy. I remember 2023 was so hot and we were a puddle of sweat and this time we were ice-blocks. 

This year was a bit different because we snatched one of the rare rooms in a hotel for the weekend. At first we just wanted to stay from Saturday to Sunday but the hotel informed us that due to the medieval festival, rooms are only rented out from Friday to Sunday. A cash grab in my eyes but sure. And it was not cheap either for what we got, it was about 400€ for two nights including breakfast. Which, for that location was pretty steep. 

But nevertheless, we arrived on Friday, had a quick dinner at the restaurant and then watched schlefaz in the room. The pumpkin soup with the toasted bread was really delicious, my garlic spaghetti were not. It was so bland and I did not taste any garlic. That was such a shame because I love garlic. 

While watching one of the worse Schlefaz I sewed on the rhinestones to the dress. 

Saturday

We woke up around 8:15 and got ready. Here is my outfit I wore for that day. It's an older one I made and wore back in 2019 (see here)

 After a breakfast, only tea for me, we managed to be on time for the parade an 10am. 

The admission in 2025 was €10 for one day or €15 for both days, making it one of the more affordable festivals in Austria. 

Compared to other locations like Český Krumlov, both the town and the festival in Eggenburg are much smaller and thus the parade was probably only 1/8th of what the Krumlov parade was, but it was fun nevertheless. 

 

 

 

 

It's not even an 1/8th of what the Krumlov parade was but it was fun nevertheless. The women from the Lace club recognized me and wanted us to join them but we declined. My favourite were the Italian flag-throwing group Sbandieratori di Arezzo. They performed a short set to close the parade, but later in the day they also give a full show. Founded in 1960, they’ve become cultural ambassadors of their region, performing everywhere from Seoul and New York to Versailles and even the Vatican. Their acrobatics, synchronized flag swings, and the sound of drums and trumpets create an unforgettable atmosphere. Plus, their good looks and costumes had many heads turning.

Because of this, the streets and market areas can get very crowded during peak hours. In 2025 it wasn’t too bad, since the weather was less favourable, but on a sunny day, you can expect the festival to be packed. 

We went up to the church, took some pictures and then had cake in the gardens of the parish. The prices for water and cake was affordable, and we did not have to pay the usual 7€ deposit for the mugs. 

Then we wandered down and had a look around at the boots. We also found my favourite artists Orniello and Wellenkind, who were located near the other church and general area of other artists.  

 

 

You could buy everything your medieval heart desires from from jewelry and hats to pottery, felted bags and hats, gemstones, fabric, ocarina, bird whistles, baskets, incense, jams, syrup, mead, leather items, clothing, ropes, soap, books, bags, and blacksmith wares. 

 

 

 

We ate lunch, I had medieval potato latkes, just kidding...of course there were no potatoes during that time, and meat in a bun with mustard and sauerkraut. My partner got Flammkuchen without cream and it was just a tortilla with vegetables for 10€? Absolutely not worth it. 

Afterwards he got Baumkuchen, which at least has a history dating back to the late Middle Ages. The earliest known recipes appear in an Italian cookbook from 1426, and one of the first German-language recipes can be found in Marx Rumpolt’s 1581 cookbook, where it is referred to as Spießkuchen/Spit cake.

The weather was not great and we decided to head back to the hotel around 2pm, we napped for an hour and then I changed into a casual wear and we were off to the festival again. 

We watched another show of the Sbandieratori di Arezzo. Too bad we got a bad spot and didn't really say much apart from their heads and the flags that were thrown into the air. Plus, children were running around and some grabbed my hip and pushed me to get infront of me. I was so livid with them and their parents but latter where no where to be found. 

 

I drank a grape juice which was amazing, and we rested at a bench and watched the people. 

 

We also found some of Hias' friends and talked to them and then later met up at another location where I had a bread with raclette. There was no price and I naively thought it would not be that expensive because it's just bread with cheese but I was wrong and paid 8,5€ for this. Eight euros and fifty cents. Absolutely not worth it.

 

We went back to the hotel at 6pm and stayed there. We were too tired to do anything else and went to bed. 

Sunday

It had rained and stormed during the night and everything was still wet.  I was glad I didn't bring the white dresses I intended to wear as I would have had dirt on my seams up to my knee. Instead I brought the blue dress I made and wore the year before (remember?). This time I wore it with a green woolen cape. 

 

We were a bit too late to watch the parade and instead set out to chat with the artists of Orniello and Wellenkind. I bought a ring from Orniello and Hias bought a new hat from Wellenkind.

I realized that I didn't film enough for a video so we basically run around and I made videos of the booths and the artists. During that time we also bought a new Cherry mead which was 30€. 

Today we also got two program points: the historical dances from Eulenspiel and the concert from Schandgesellen.  

Afterwards we went to the venetian camp and met friends who came with her friend group that had never been to a medieval festival. They were starstruck and excited and the energy was contagious.

 

We ate some cake at the parish again and it then began to rain. It was annoying but at least we were not stuck outside as the people working there invited us into the building. when it stopped raining we made a few pictures and then grabbed our stuff and went to the train station. 

We were home around 3pm and I was so happy to see my cats again. It was a long and expensive weekend, I was cold most of the time but it was fun. But, next time, we will not stay at the hotel.

 

 

If you enjoy this blog and want to support it, consider leaving a small donation via PayPal. Every bit helps keep things running and lets me keep creating more content just for you. You can donate by clicking the link below:

Thank you so much! 

All the best, 

Auris Lothol