Vikings had a varied and rich diet of wild and domestic meats, fruits, crops, poultry, fish, and other food they could grow, harvest, or hunt. Therefore, it is not surprising that their diet was much better and more varied than in other parts of medieval Europe.
Vikings ate hearty meals with meat, dairy, grains, fruit and vegetables to maintain their energy, since their everyday activities included exploring unknown lands and sailing the open waters. In fact, during the Middle Ages, even a poor Viking had a diet that was considerably better than that of an English peasant.
The Viking diet was generally a healthy and balanced one. Because they were hunters, meat was a daily staple. The type of meat would depend on their location and could include pork, mutton, or the meat from elk, deer, or goats. Vikings also consumed horse meat.
Eggs. The Vikings not only ate eggs from domestic animals like chickens, ducks and geese, but they also enjoyed wild eggs. They considered gulls' eggs, which were collected from clifftops, a particular delicacy.
The most common meat in the Viking diet would have been pork, as pigs are easy to breed and mature quickly. The Viking diet was, therefore, based on a great caloric intake (the average Viking consumed around 2,000 calories per day) derived from proteins.
The chances are Vikings were a lot leaner than many people today, thanks to their protein-rich diet, and their commitment to hard labor. However, it's likely that the comparative 'largeness' of Vikings was down to their muscular bodies and strength, rather than simply being "fat".
The Vikings needed all the energy that they could get in the form of fat – especially in winter. Meat, fish, vegetables, cereals and milk products were all an important part of their diet. Sweet food was consumed in the form of berries, fruit and honey. In England the Vikings were often described as gluttonous.
In Iceland, especially, Vikings enjoyed their dairy, and often ate it in the form of skyr, a fermented, yogurt-like cheese that today is sometimes marketed as a dairy “superfood.” Viking lore mentions the creamy substance, says Barraclough, who recalls a “saga where a man hides from his enemies in a vat of skyr—which ...
Grains and bread
A large part of the Viking diet consisted of grain products like bread and porridge. Bread would have been enjoyed with every meal, though it wouldn't be much like the bread we eat nowadays.
Many foods commonly consumed today were unknown, such as corn (maize), potatoes, and sugar; the only available sweetener was wild honey. To these foods would be added whatever could be hunted, captured, or gathered. Along coastal regions, and near rivers and lakes, fish were a staple part of the diet.
Many Vikings used picks to clean the gaps between their teeth, and some historian believes they may have also used fibrous hazel twigs and similar tools as a kind of brush. The Viking skeletons discovered over the decades have usually had relatively strong teeth too.
The Vikings were quite particular about their hygiene practices. They would bathe at least once per week, and some sources even suggest that some would take daily baths. In addition, the Vikings would brush their hair with combs made from bone or antlers and use primitive tweezers to remove unwanted body hair.
The physical build of the Vikings was likely to be somewhat similar to our own, but with significantly more mass and muscle. From an early age, Vikings took part in activities which would progressively develop their strength over time, from rowing boats, to farming, and chopping wood.
The Vikings had several options, when it came to making porridge. It could be made from barley, oats, buckwheat or millet. They mixed berries and apples into the porridge to add sweetness. Porridge was typically part of the daily food intake, especially that of the poor.
Vikings consumed a variety of vegetables including cabbage, onions, garlic, leeks, turnips, peas and beans. These garden crops were sowed in spring and harvested in late summer and fall. Women and children gathered wild plants and herbs, mostly greens.
The Vikings were skilled breadmakers, and one of their most commonly made bread was rye bread, a popular bread that still exists today.
Wild fruit and berries grew abundantly in the Viking period. The Vikings could supply themselves with raspberries, bilberries, plums, wild apples and hazelnuts from the woods. Walnuts were also available in some areas. The Vikings knew about the health benefits of eating apples.
Nutrition Played a Part in the Viking Success Story
They had to diversify to survive, relying heavily on a higher protein diet made up of cattle, livestock, hunting, and fishing along their endless coastlines.
Vikings used to brew both strong and weak beer and mead for different occasions. Weak beer was used as a water replacement to quench thirst and was deemed suitable for children, whereas the stronger brewed beverages were held in an adult-only space on the proverbial top shelf, reserved for special occasions.
The Vikings, who fueled themselves for their expeditions in part by eating Gamalost, also considered the cheese an aphrodisiac. Gamalost was once a staple of the Norwegian diet, in large part because it could be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration.
The average height of Vikings as found by researchers and scholars, varied depending on a number of factors, including their age and gender. Typically, the average male Viking would usually be between 5 foot 7 and 5 foot 9, while the average female would be between 5 foot 1 and 5 foot 3.
The Vikings most likely ate domestic eggs as part of their everyday diet. They would cook or eat them raw in various dishes like bread. Wild eggs, on the other hand, were not as common but did occasionally appear in Viking recipes.
There's a good chance Vikings did appear “huge” to the people who met with them, however. One archeological display from the Viking Museum of Oslo shows some large Norsemen who were believed to weigh around 130 to 140kg.
It turns out that, on average, Vikings were shorter than people today. According to measurements taken from Viking skeletons found in modern-day Denmark and Sweden, a male Viking was around 172 cm (5.6 ft) tall, while the average female Viking was only 158 cm (5.1 ft).
Scandinavian women from the Viking Age were more similar to males in facial structure and skeletomuscular strength. When looking at facial structure, female Scandinavians had an austerity and firmness more commonly associated with masculine faces.