Burnt food remains
Medieval
Found by Winchester Muserums Archaeology Section near King Alfred Terrace, Winchester, Hampshire in 1974
This heap of burnt food was excavated from the ditch marking the boundary between the northern suburb of Hyde and the precinct of Hyde Abbey. It consists mainly of wheat, barley and oats, with some peas, beans and lentils (have a look at the graph). Although lentils are a very basic foodstuff, fitting easily with the frugal lifestyle expected amongst the monks, they are very hard to grow in England and must have been imported. The large size of the heap (only part of it is shown here) suggests that a communal meal was being cooked. Did the cook burn the pottage one day and have to rush out and throw it in the ditch before it set fire to the kitchen? Ironically, the burning or charring is what preserved the food - otherwise it would have long since rotted away in the ground.