In the Middle Ages, a great hall was the main room of a royal palace, castle, or a big manor house or hall house, and it was still erected in country homes of the 16th and early 17th centuries, albeit by then the family used the great chamber for dining and lounging. As time passed, the great chamber became more dedicated to hospitality, while the dining room began as a separate room next to the great chamber but eventually it became part of the great room. Today, both terms are applied to a large public room where food is served. But their origin remains unchanged: "dining room" came first, before "great room" existed as we know it today. During the Middle Ages, Europe's monarchs lived in palaces where they received guests for meals that often lasted several hours. The great room was the place where everyone gathered to eat and talk about important matters regarding the kingdom. Only people of rank were allowed into the private chambers where the king or queen slept at night; servants had to bring their masters' meals to them in the morning. Since nobody could write down recipes back then, menus were fixed menus usually consisting of three courses: soup, meat, and pudding. Each course was accompanied by wine or beer. Water was considered unfit for drinking except when produced by a brewery and meant only for washing dishes and clothes. Milk was consumed mainly as cheese.