Horsebread was a type of bread commonly consumed in medieval Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. This bread was a low-quality bread, made from legumes as well as, or instead of grains, and was one of the cheapest breads available. It was fed to horses but also eaten by the indigent and those who could not afford white bread

White bread

White bread is made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ have been removed through a process known as milling. Milling gives white flour a longer shelf life by removing the bran which contains oil, allowing products made with it, like white bread, the ability to survive storage and...

 (which was the most expensive bread) or other breads. The husks of the wheat were not removed before grinding the flour, and sometimes peas and root vegetable items were included.

While the caloric content of horsebread was relatively low (due to the non-edible items ground into the flour), this bread was very high in fibre. Horsebread was one of the Middle Ages' first natural laxatives.