Elizabethan era diet - an overview
As the Germans pass the bounds of sobriety in drinking, the English of Elizabethan era were doing the same in eating. Germans were then known, and still are known for being fond of their beer, the English on the other hand were legendary for eating too much - especially meat.
The Elizabethan era diet was very much dependant upon the status and wealth of an individual. Meat was considered to be a sign of wealth in the early medieval era. You should be aware that the Elizabethan diet was prepared especially for banquets and feasts to have a grand visual effect not only with the intention of entertaining but also as a sign of your status in Elizabethan society. A good spread and a fantastic display could mean only one thing, you had to be a member of the nobility.
Peacocks that were commonly reared during Elizabethan era were not only for decorating cooked foods, with their feathers, but also for consumption. I think you know the old English Nursery Rhyme- “Sing a song of sixpence”, which contains a phrase “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie”. During Elizabethan age, they baked a pie pastry crust and put it over the live black birds as a symbol of nobility, so when the pie crust was broken open out flew the birds. Quite dramatic Im sure you’ll agree.
Feasting was the order of the during the Elizabethan era, any important occasion was an excuse to invite around the local nobility and have a good nosh. Below is an example of an Elizabethan meals menu offered by a wealthy knight to a merchant of the new world and his guests: -
First course: Soused pig; tarts; baked chickens; moor cocks; morocco pie; chicken; rabbits; roast veal; boiled beef; boiled meats;
Second course: Dulcets (sweets) (click here for examples), roast capon; baked calves feet; roast mutton and veal; sliced beef; boiled pigeon and calves feet; stewed rabbits; boiled chickens; and mutton in pottage.
The above menu clearly suggests that there was no inclusion of vegetables. An Elizabethan diet with vegetables was considered to be unhealthy (!) at that time. Although tomatoes and potatoes were arriving from the new world (United States) during the Elizabethan era, the English nobles preferred their meat to vegetables.
Diners didn’t require forks for consuming their meals, they would generally, like to cut their meat with a knife on a piece of bread as a plate and eat with their hands. Manners were the order of the day, we have an Eliazbethan poem on manners here (Click here) applys to today as well. Left over meals would be given first to the servants any leftovers were then placed in the dole cupboard and given to poor people who came begging. This gave rise to the term receiving the dole or on the dole.
Sugar was being introduced slowly into the Elizabethan diet in the form of sweets and jams (Click here for examples), in time vegetable dishes also took off. Queen Elizabeth’s teeth were black and rotten with decay, which is an indication that sugar was widely available to those that could afford it.
The common cooking methods adopted by the Elizabethans for preparing their meals were spit roasting, baking, boiling, smoking, salting, and frying. Since the water supply was unclean and polluted, most of the Elizabethans prefer to drink beer, ale and wine. The poor always preferred ale whereas rich Elizabethan had easy access to both.
Mad Dog, Angels' Food, Left Leg, and Dragon's Milk are the common varieties of ale available during the Elizabethan era. All class of people used a drink called mead, a sweet alcoholic beverage prepared by making use of honey. Beer contained hops, which produced a bitter flavor and was very low alcohol. The main flavours of bayberries, long pepper, and orris were added to mask this bitter taste in the beer. Low alcoholic drinks, such as beer, was frequently consumed at the rate of one gallon per person per day.
The public houses, taverns, and inns that served these types of beverages played an important role in the average Tudors social life, pretty much like they continue to do today. Traditional beers such as “Dog Bolter”, “Tangle foot”, and "Fursty Ferret" were easily available at that time to a common man also.
A rich and respectable noble would spend about around £3,500 a year on the Elizabethan diet, whereas Queen Elizabeth herself would require £21,000 for dieting expenses per year. Both of which were astronomical sums of money for the time. See our range of Elizabethan condiments Click here
