Q133454307

What people wore

Valuable Noblewoman's Clothing

Seventeenth-century noblewomen's wills show that items like fur-lined coats, velvet dresses, and specific headgear such as caps and wimples were vital assets, sometimes valued higher than silver or jewelry.

Daily life

Cooking methods and food preservation

Cooking was a labor-intensive task using pots with three legs placed over fires or suspended cauldrons, while salt was a vital commodity for preserving meat and fish stored in barrels. Households often relied on hand mills to grind their own grain between stones to prepare bread and dishes.

Work

Extorting peasants for gathered forest goods

Landowners sometimes exploited extreme poverty by demanding a portion of natural resources gathered by peasants, such as mushrooms, nuts, acorns, strawberries, and raspberries. These demands often began as requests but eventually became strictly enforced annual quotas.

Music

Bagpipes at local inns and festivals

Bagpipe music was a staple of everyday life, frequently accompanying dancing at weddings and parties in both city and country inns.

At the table

Staple diet of ordinary families

Rye bread, groats, and peas formed the staple diet of ordinary households, often supplemented by dairy, fat, and vegetables from home gardens.

Getting around

Winter travel equipment costs

In 1586, a villager purchased a transport sledge at the Ramygala market for ten Lithuanian groši, a common household tool for winter travel.

What it cost

Food consumed most of a worker's wages

In the first half of the 17th century, daily nutrition costs rose significantly, consuming between 60% and 80% of a worker's total wages.