Eduardo de Portugal

Getting around

Daily Travel Distances

A hurried travel party on horseback could cover approximately 40 kilometers per day, though this distance was significantly reduced if the animals used for traction were oxen.

What it cost

Rising Meat Prices in Lisbon

By the start of the 16th century, the price of meat in Lisbon rose sharply, with a 25 percent increase in the cost of beef and mutton occurring over a three-year period.

What people wore

Commoner Clothing in Everyday Life

Ordinary people wore dark-colored clothing made of coarse, patched fabrics. Men wore woolen tunics, coarse leggings, and felt or cloth hats.

Daily life

Cooking and staple daily diets

Cooking was done on hearths and braziers using ceramic pots, and fuel like firewood and charcoal was a significant household expense that had to be managed carefully. Daily meals typically centered on bread, wine, legumes, onions, garlic, and seasonal vegetables, with fish providing a primary source of protein.

Work

Common jobs in Portugal

Seafaring, shipbuilding, and related trades like rope and sail manufacturing were major industries, alongside agricultural work, food supply, and craft professions.

Music

Music during royal meals

King Manuel I enjoyed music during his meals, listening to ensembles playing shawms, sackbuts, cornets, harps, drums, and fiddles every Sunday and holy day.

At the table

Simple fare for ordinary Portuguese families

Ordinary families often ate light meals of fruit and bread, or pottages of cereals and vegetables, saving meat and sweets for festive days. In 1422, a local council purchased farteis, which were cakes made with flour, eggs, butter, and sometimes almonds, for community celebrations.