[originaltext] Centuries ago, during the Middle Ages, most of the land in Eu

Centuries ago, during the Middle Ages, most of the land in Europe was owned by many different kings and queens, princes and princesses, and lords and ladies. They did not all get along. They were always fighting. They all wanted to get more land. To protect themselves, they started building huge homes out of stone. They called their homes castles.
    A castle was built behind a strong stonewall. The wall was five or six feet thick and ten to twenty feet high. A deep ditch called a moat was dug around the outside of the wall. It was often filled with water, and the only way anyone could enter the castle was to cross a drawbridge. The drawbridge could be raised or lowered over the moat from inside the castle walls. There was also a tunnel that began in the castle and ended at the moat. This was important in case the castle was captured. It allowed the king and queen to escape. They could swim across the moat and hide in the forest.
    Living in a castle was not very comfortable. The rooms were cold and damp. Every room could have a fire burning in a great fireplace, but until the twelfth century castles did not have chimneys. The smoke from their fireplaces had to go out through open doors, and windows.
    Meals often had ten or twelve courses. The meat might be wild bears or birds that were boiled or roasted over an open fire. All the food was highly seasoned. People even put pepper in their drinks!
    The people sat at a long table and ate with their fingers and a knife, all picking their food from the same big dish. They had no napkins. Therefore, they often wiped their hands on pieces of bread. When their fingers were clean, they threw the bread to their hunting dogs.