Karin Hansdotter

Getting around

Costs and customs of travel accommodation

Travelers could obtain food and shelter from appointed hosts in parishes roughly two Swedish miles apart for a cost of two 'Rondstuckh' (about four Kreuzer) per meal. However, foreign travelers were often charged double and had to rely on the willingness of the local host to provide transport.

Daily life

Open hearth cooking with simple diets

Cooking was done using open fireplaces, and common staples included porridge, bread, turnips, cabbage, and salted or dried fish and meat, usually washed down with beer.

What people wore

Marital Status Shown by Headwear

To signal their status, married women wore a wimple as a head covering, whereas unmarried young girls were distinguished by wearing their hair uncovered.

Music

Popular instruments of the time

Common instruments included the flute, drum, fiddle, and jaw harp. Bagpipes were also popular, though they were sometimes depicted in church art as sinful or associated with the devil.

At the table

Beaver as fasting food

To preserve food for winter, people salted or dried meat and fish, and the beaver was considered fish because it lived in water and used its tail to swim. This allowed it to be eaten during the religious fasting days when meat was otherwise prohibited.