Bread, made of wheat, barley, rye, or oats, was the main food for medieval Europeans. Bread was purchased from a local baker because peasant and poor urban households did not have an oven for baking. Most everyday medieval cooking was done on an open hearth. Only the wealthy households could afford the expense of baking ovens and the fuel to heat them.
Image from the Smithfield Decretals/ Decretals of Gregory IX, late 13th – early 14th century. Courtesy of The British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts.