Horsebread

Horsebread was a type of bread sometimes consumed in medieval Europe. This bread was, at the time, considered a low-quality bread, made from legumes (such as dry split peas) and bran[1] as well as or instead of grains such as oats, maize & seeds including ground acorns, and was one of the cheapest breads available. As the name suggests, it was allegedly fit only for horses to eat; but for many of the poorer people as well as in times of famine this bread was what sustained them. It was associated with poverty - since those who could afford white bread considered horse bread unfit for their position in society. (which was the most labour-intensive, and therefore expensive, bread) or other breads like rye or barley breads.[2][3]

White breads were generally eaten by only the middle class and wealthy, because of the labour involved in refining flour. This is in contrast with modern whole-grain breads, which are typically seen as premium-priced health foods or gourmet foods. This is in part because modern flour has a higher gluten content than flour produced in medieval Europe, and thus bread made from less-refined flour is more palatable than it would have been during the Middle Ages.[4]