The Vikings ate lots of different types of food, although their choice was often limited by where they lived, how rich they were and what was available. We know from Viking poems that they ate bread, and that the poor would have eaten thick, heavy bread while the rich ate fine, white bread. The white bread would have been made from wheat, like our bread today. The heavier bread would have been made from other grains such as barley or rye. We know that the Vikings grew these grains because they have been found in the soil at the site of Viking farms.

Many different types of pips and seeds have also been found at Viking sites, telling us that they ate apples, plums, berries and nuts. They would also have eaten vegetables that grow well in cold weather such as carrots, parsnips and cabbages.

The Vikings certainly ate meat, and the skeletons of animals have been found at Viking sites with crushed skulls. This tells us how the Vikings would have killed the animals - not very nice, but at least it would have been quick!

The food would have been cooked in stone ovens or in large pots called cauldrons over an open fire. They would also have put chunks of meat and fish on wooden or metal spikes and held them in the flames - a chargrilled steak!

Because they kept chickens and sheep, we know that Vikings would have eaten eggs and drunk milk. Some of the milk would even have been made into butter and cheese.

Although the Vikings didn't have sugar (it hadn't been discovered in Asia or America yet), they did have a sweet tooth. They would have kept beehives and sweetened their food and drink with honey. They also made a very strong alcoholic drink with honey called mead.