The Byzantine Empire is known for its beauty, center of administration, and trade. It traded much seafood, such as salted bonito. It had wondrous foods, spices, and drugs. The people of the Byzantine Empire were Christians. They hunted gazelles and wild donkeys. They grew eggplants, lemons, and oranges. The people of the Byzantine Empire also ate salted mullet roe, caviar, cheese, bread, marmalade, and rice pudding. They drank wine. The rich and the poor had much different lives. The poor people were the soldiers of the army while the rich people would usually be higher up in the army. Farming consumed much of the Byzantine Empire. Almost everyone would grow some sort of crop. The Orthodox Christian Church calendar and dieticians would greatly influence what was grown and when. Silk was the richest fabric of the Byzantine Empire. It was highly treasured by the wealthy. Anyone could wear what they wanted depending on how much they would pay. What they wore did not depend on their social class like it did in Rome.