The Secret History of Medieval Junk Food. You Won't Believe What Was Inside Their Hot Pockets
- Oct 29, 2025
- 3 min read
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Think you invented the guilty pleasure of a late-night takeout run? Think again. That craving for something quick greasy and maybe a little questionable is a tale as old as time. Long before drive-thrus and delivery apps there was a whole world of medieval junk food designed for people on the go. But it wasn't all turkey legs and flagons of ale for knights. It was something a lot more... familiar.
Forget the romantic image of every family gathered around a roaring hearth. In bustling medieval cities, many folks lived in tiny spaces with no kitchen at all. Cooking was a luxury. Fuel was expensive and trying to light a fire in a cramped wooden apartment was a great way to become the lead story on the six o'clock news. So where did the hungry traveler or the exhausted worker go? They hit the streets.
Enter the "cook shop" the original 24/7 takeout joint. These places lined the busiest streets, wafting smells of... well something... into the air to lure customers. They sold hot meals to go changing the menu with the seasons. The star of the show was the humble meat pie. It was the original handheld hamburger portable, filling, and unbelievably popular. But just like that kebab you're still thinking about from 3 AM, these pies had a secret. A very very dark secret...
