Food in high medieval England (1066–1315) was central to socialization. It played a key role in social gatherings, both through fasting and feasting. The thesis examines the symbolic and functional roles of food rituals across lay, ecclesiastical, monastic, noble, and royal groups, highlighting the ways in which food served as a means of socialization and a tool for asserting power, prestige, and social norms. This study relies on a rich combination of primary source materials derived from chronicles, histories, visual sources, monastic rules, collections of recipes, courtesy literature, and administrative and legal sources. The theoretical frameworks established by Ledyaev (1997), Wagner (1996), Durkheim (1912), and Berger, Rosenholtz, and Zelditch Jr. (1980) guide this study. It argues that food, through fasting and feasting, was not merely sustenance but an instrument of socialization.
Author Keywords: England, Fast, Feast, High Medieval, Socialization