Culinary traditions in Middle Earth

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Child of the 7th Age

I think we can assume the "growing zone" and crops would be similar to the situation in Victorian or Edwardian England. I did not mean to say that hobbits were vegetarians . But knowing what I know about rural folk in earlier times, meat and fowl would not have been an everyday thing. I do think that chicken would have been the most frequent "meat", with pork in second place. They could have caught fish from shore in small lakes, ponds, and rivers, since they weren't keen on boats.

This seems to me to be quite true. During earlier times (in the "west"), meat has been somewhat a rarity: happily and joyously consumed, when possible, but still not everyday stuff as it is nowadays. There's a long path of cultural history between now-a-day westerners and their forefathers (and -mothers). Although we should remember this basic rule of history / cultural anthropology: the farther away from the equator, the higher percentage of the daily diet is coming from meat. In scandinavia you couldn't have survived with only berries and mushrooms...

And anyway. In my recollection, Tolkien's Hobbitton, is more like the early 20th. century (or late 19th.) rural england than a Victorian age one (although I admit I might be wrong). This is just an image I have.

But tell me if I'm wrong: I just can't imagine folks of the Shire to eat fish! (Here we go, Child of the 7th. Age!!!). I could think the hobbits of around the Brandybuck river would eat fish regularily, though.