One of the real challenges of trying to reproduce Viking food is that we can’t actually know exactly what they ate because they didn’t write it down.  What we do have to go on is the archeological record, and some very sketchy literary evidence from the sagas.  What that leaves us with is “Viking possible”.  Something that they could have eaten based on the ingredients available and they equipment they had to cook with. 

In the pot is one of my favorite Viking possible recipes:  grain (barley, oats) with apples, bacon and onions.  I think this example actually has prunes instead of the apples which is also very good.  Fry the bacon and onions, add the grain and fruit, plus water to cover, and simmer until the grain is done.  If you use stone ground or steel cut oats, it cooks quite quickly, and makes a hearty meal any time of day.

I’ll be posting more “Viking possible” recipes as time goes by.