Under the feudal system of the Middle Ages(the period in European history lasting from c. 500 to c. 1500), powerful lords owned and governed local districts, which were usually made up of peasant families and ranged from fifty to a few hundred people. Forks were not yet used in England but they were not needed as most food was already cut up before serving. But fish included veal, game and poultry, and if you really couldnt do without beef you could buy a flesh-eaters licence, or get round the rules in other ways. Canaryis a white wine from the Canary Islands. It can be flavored with just about anything, including pepper, ivy, rosemary, and lupins. Meat was fresh or, when eaten in the winter months, was preserved via salting, smoking, drying, or pickling. Food and drink were a major part of life in Elizabethan times. elizabethanenglandlife.com/recipes-in-england-during-the-elizabethan-era.html Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Last modified July 08, 2020. As far as how much the Elizabethans drank, they would perhaps be considered drunkards by today’s standards. Artisans and agricultural workers ate meat only on special occasions and instead they ate more bread, milk, cheese, and eggs. World History Encyclopedia. Read more. The unfortunate part for the lower class citizens during the Elizabethan times was that most wines was reserved for the upper class only. So instead, you pretty well only had two choices, ale and wine. Milk was sometimes drinking, sheep’s as well as cow’s, but was mostly used to make butter, cream, and cheese. There probably were not nearly as many choices of wine as there are today, but I suspect there was more than just a single importer. Just about any seasonal fruits  - from gooseberries to elderberries - were used to make wines, although the quality must have been generally low and the taste an acquired one. We are now World History Encyclopedia to better reflect the breadth of our non-profit organization's mission. England was self-sufficient in terms of agricultural produce, although the run of bad harvests in the 1590s CE did necessitate the import of grain and prices tripled. Game was often protected by forest laws with strict punishments for poachers. People in this era did not consider water as clean and sterile and hence they preferred alcohol more than water. Elizabethan Trencher Plateby The British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA) We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. hunted for boar, deer and rabbit. People in Elizabethan England mostly drank ale, beer, and wine because water was not healthy due to poor sanitation in cities and natural impurities in country water. The upper class had a little bit more privilege by also adding wines to their diets. Drinking water was avoided by most people as it was rarely ever clean and tasteless. Poor people may have had humble and unvaried diets, consisting largely of bread, fish, cheese and ale, but the rich of Elizabethan England … It’s technically a whale excretion) and it was used in Elizabethan England to season their food. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1578/. Learn More. (Which might explain why Elizabethans could drink so much beer?) Sweet dishes, as seen in the above menu, were not necessarily reserved for the final part of the meal but might be served between savoury courses. The rich ate so well and over so many courses that their servants at least benefitted from this bonanza as they got to eat the leftovers; anything still left over was then given to the poor. Generally, the lower class was forced to drink Ale. Consequently, whatever the season offered in terms of wild vegetables and fruits were well-received by everyone. In households with a staff of servants, these chests were often kept locked to prevent unauthorised nibbling. Elizabethan Drinks . While some commoners struggled, as ever, to feed their families, especially in the long winters of the 16th century CE, foreign visitors did often remark on how well-fed the Elizabethan peasantry was and how overfed the rich were compared to their continental neighbours. Cured hams and sausages were another way to keep meat edible through the winter. Wild Boar. 5. These wines were frequently imported from other places so it is likely to have had a wide variety of choices to pick from. Consequently, Elizabethan travellers rarely moved around in comfort or at any great speed. Elizabethan Diets - Elizabethan food and drink the diet of an Elizabethan In Elizabethan England your diet was based on your class. According to Brown, “Two people usually date, or go on social outings with members of the opposite sex before they marry.” Men and women stay single longer than they used to. Meat was eaten so frequently & in such prodigious quantities amongst the rich that they frequently suffered complaints like kidney & bladder stones. For labourers, a packed lunch consisting of a chunk of bread, cheese, and large rigid pasties containing meat and/or vegetables would have seen them through their working day. Poor people ate a lot of bread, fish, and cheese, but not much else. People during Elizabethan times got very creative on ways to make it taste different though. Nobles lacked Vitamin C, calcium, and fiber. The subject of food and drinks is important during the Elizabethan era because what was consumed during this time period, will affect what English people eat today. England was exposed to new foods (such as the potato imported from South America), and developed new tastes during the era. "Food & Drink in the Elizabethan Era." Desserts included fruit, honey, pastries rich in butter, puddings using stale bread, biscuits, gingerbread, and all manner of cakes, fruit pasties and tarts made using refined sugar (by now being grown in the Americas but still expensive). Everybody in Elizabethan England drank, of course. Another source was church ales, which were regularly organised by parish churches to raise funds for the upkeep of the church and to help the poor in the parish. The latter methods were a necessity because animals were often slaughtered before the onset of winter as feeding them in that season was difficult. At special dinners, the guests could choose from a wide variety of meat dishes and even ask for a sample before making their decision. In contrast, hutches ('pantries') were boxes with air-holes for keeping fresh food like cheeses. The meal was not particularly different from those later in the day and might include porridge, bread, cheese, fruit and meat. Cite This Work Other seafood included eels, crustaceans, and shellfish (especially mussels, crab, shrimp, and oysters). For the wealthy there was access to expensive spices and exotic imported food, whereas for the poor the majority of … Snacks of bread, cheese, and cold food washed down with a cup of ale would have been taken any time in-between. Everybody in Elizabethan England drank, of course. Measuring it out. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Everyone drank beer as water was often too impure to drink. Beer in England is usually ale, made without hops, and is relatively flat. The wealthy were much more likely to have the time to eat a sit-down breakfast. Liza Picard takes a look at crime in Elizabethan England and describes the brutal punishments offenders received, from whipping and public humiliation to hanging and burning at the stake. People had three main meals per day. Water wasn't safe to drink, while the national fondness for a nice cup of tea lay a long way in the future. Use them to help you become familiar with the language, as a reference while reading, and as a resource for writing in your journal. Most Elizabethan cooking was done at home but there were communal ovens in many parishes for people to take their prepared dough and have it baked into bread or to have a stew (pottage) slowly cooked. Some church ales spanned across several days and two or three might be held annually. Coffeeis period in the strictest sense, but has not arrived in England. Peacock, swan, goose, veal, beef, plums, cherries, the list goes on. There was also a little bit of wine developed from the vineyards in England itself. Other commonly added flavours included salt, onions of all types, fennel, rocket, vinegar, olive oil, and such herbs as sage, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Food and drinks were different depending on your status, and wealth. Poor people ate a lot of bread, fish, and cheese, but not much else. Meat dishes on offer for those who could afford it included beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, and poultry such as chicken, duck, goose and pigeon. England dominated the wine trade. The most commonly eaten vegetables were peas, beans, and lentils. Cartwright, Mark. With your help we create free content that helps millions of people learn history all around the world. A 16th-century CE cookbook gives the following summary of a fairly typical meal for the wealthy: The First Course: Pottage or stewed broth; boiled meat or stewed meat, chickens and bacon, powdered [salted] beef, pies, goose, pig, roasted beef, roasted veal, custard.