THE ORIGINS OF HUMBLE PIE
One explanation for the origins of the phrase ‘eating humble pie’ comes from the medieval hunt. As well as providing valuable practice in riding and using weapons, it offered the elite a way to reinforce the strict social hierarchy. When a stag was killed, there was a very specific ritual for unmaking the deer, also known as breaking or undoing the animal. The process is described in the 15th-century Boke of Seynt Albans.
Firstly, the stag’s genitalia and organs were removed and placed on top of a pole called a forchée to be paraded on the way home. The right hind hoof was then removed and given as a prize to the highest-status person on the hunt, man or woman. The stag was next skinned, and the hide used to protect the meat and to collect the blood. It was then cut into pieces that were ceremonially distributed. The rear haunches were the prime cut for the top table. The left shoulder was given to the forester who cared for the land as his payment. The kidneys, intestines, windpipe and blood were mixed with bread and fed to the hounds, who were held on leads by their masters as they ate so that they would associate the reward with the hunt.
The word venison is derived from the Old French word vene-soun, which comes from the Latin venari, meaning to hunt. It is the product of the hunt. While the top table dined on the finest cuts, lower status members of the household were fed the offal and the entrails, which were also known as the umbles, so that eating humble pie was a demonstration of low status.
