Elizabethan Food
Elizabethan Food
Elizabethan Food and Drink varied according to status and wealth. In the early Medieval era meat was a sign of wealth. But as the population rose, this was supported by improving agricultural techniques and inventions. The Elizabethan era also saw the introductions of different food from the New World. For specific facts and information about America please refer to Colonial America. And the Elizabethan period saw the expanded use of sugar. Increased cultivation of fruit trees and bee hives was also seen during the Elizabethan era increasing the range of foods available. The section and era covering Elizabethan Food includes sections on Daily Meals, Elizabethan food preservation, Elizabethan food and diet, food availability, food served at a Banquet or feast and food from the New World. There is also a separate section containing old Elizabethan recipes.
Elizabethan Daily Meals
Elizabethan Daily Meals
Elizabethan royalty, the Upper Classes and Nobles would eat their food from silverware. Lower classes would eat their food from wooden or horn dishes. Every Elizabethan had their own knife. Spoons were rarely used as any liquid food, such as soups, was drunk from a cup. Forks were introduced in the late 14th century. The kitchens in large houses or castles were usually situated some distance from the Great Hall and therefore food was generally served cold. The number of daily meals eaten during the day by the Upper Classes were as follows:
- Breakfast - Food and drink generally served between 6 -7
- Dinner - Food and drink generally served at mid-morning between 12 - 2
- Supper - Was a substantial meal and food and drink was generally served between 6 -7 and accompanied by various forms of entertainment
The Elizabethan Lower Classes also had three meals but obviously far less elaborate than the Upper Classes.
Daily Elizabethan Food Consumption for the Lower Classes
The food eaten daily by the average Lower Class Elizabethan consisted of at least ½ lb. bread, 1 pint of beer, 1 pint of porridge, and 1/4 lb of meat. This would have been supplemented with some dairy products - vegetables were a substantial ingredient of soups. Records show that the daily ration of a food for a Tudor soldier with 2 lb. of beef or mutton with l lb. cheese, l/2 lb. butter, 1.5 lb. bread and 2/3 gallon of beer! It is probably worth pointing out that the the beer had a very low alcohol content!
Daily Elizabethan Food Consumption for the Upper Classes
The quantity, quality and type of food consumed by the Upper Classes differed considerably from the diet of the Lower Classes. The number of courses and variety of Elizabethan foods consumed by the Upper Classes included ingredients which were too expensive for the majority of English people. The Upper classes had a taste for spicy and also sweet foods and could afford the expensive spices and sugar required to create these exotic recipes.
Elizabethan Food and Diet
Elizabethan Food and Diet - A Balanced diet?
Did Elizabethan food and drink constitute a good balanced diet? No! And especially not for the rich! The rich ate few fresh vegetables and little fresh fruit - unprepared food of this variety was viewed with some suspicion! Fruit was usually served in pies or was preserved in honey. Vegetables and fresh fruit were eaten by the poor - vegetables would have been included in some form of stew, soup or pottage. Food items which came from the ground were only are considered fit for the poor. Only vegetables such as rape, onions, garlic and leeks graced a Noble's table. Dairy products were also deemed as inferior foods and therefore only to be eaten by the poor.
Elizabethan Food and Diet - the diet of the poor was better than the diet of the Nobles!
Little was known about nutrition and the Elizabethan diet of the rich Nobles lacked Vitamin C, calcium and fibre. This led to an assortment of health problems including bad teeth, skin diseases, scurvy and rickets! Sugar was an expensive commodity and was known to blacken the teeth. It became fashionable to have blackened teeth and cosmetics were applied to achieve this effect if enough quantities of sugar were not available!
Elizabethan Food and Drink - Fasting
People of the Elizabethan era were highly religious and at certain times the eating of meat was banned. This was not an occasional ban. Certain religious observances banned the eating of meat on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays! Meat was banned during the religious seasons of Lent and Advent. Meat was also declined on the eves of many religious holidays. Fasting and abstaining from eating meat was practised for over half the days in the year!
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