This summer, Matís, in collaboration with the National Museum of Iceland, has researched what was possibly eaten in Icelandic monasteries. The study is about examining food scraps in pottery fragments. There is also another collaborative project where samples from archeological excavations are used to check the diet of the settlers.
Diet within Icelandic monasteries, which numbered around 11 and operated from 1133 until the Reformation, is a research topic that has been little researched and therefore our knowledge of eating habits is scarce. To understand what was eaten in Icelandic monasteries, clay fragments from containers from Skriðuklaustur and Kirkjubæjarklaustur have been examined. Dr. Björn Viðar Aðalbjörnsson An expert at Matís leads the project on behalf of Matís and Ármann Guðmundsson, an archaeologist, on behalf of the National Museum of Iceland.
Björn says that the research only examines clay fragments from food containers that have been found at the National Museum and have been found in archeological excavations, no other sources are used. This is a technical study. The project is carried out by Mariu Katrín Naumovskaya, a student at the University of Iceland, who received a grant from the Student Innovation Fund for the project.
"Small clay fragments are crushed down and fatty acids are analyzed in gas and mass analysis. The ratios of fatty acids can indicate which food was cooked and served in the utensils and the first results indicate that the diet of monks and nuns in Iceland was varied and possibly more varied than the rules on the diet of monks and nuns stated at the time, "says Björn.
"Less is known about the settler's diet. The project has expanded and research has begun on samples from the archaeological research in Vogur in Höfn, which the Archaeological Institute is leading under the direction of Dr. Bjarni F. Einarsson. Soil samples have been taken and fats analyzed in them as in the previous project. The results have given a better view of the settlers' diet and also given clues to the role of a structure that was previously a mystery. "