Food3

Melody P. 8-3 4/12/10 **What were popular types of banquets, feasts, food and drink in Shakespeare’s England? What were popular recipes? How were these different in urban/ rural life? How were these different in noble/ merchant/common life? **

The culinary system in England was certainly unique at the time. Food prices ranged from extremely low to extremely high, it all depended on how the crops and animals were doing. Sometimes there would be large famines, in which there wouldn’t be enough rain or high temperatures. Illnesses also found their way into many livestock such as cows making the meat inedible and useless. Food supply was something very important to the people.

Elizabethans did not waste any food. Since there was the fear and risk in the crops and livestock everyone made sure the plate was be clean, somehow or another. A food cycle was established. On top were the typical aristocratic families who would eat what they wanted off of the plates and then give them to their servants. Once the servants had picked the plates of anything they wanted it would be given to the poor as a way to try and stop hunger. Therefore, by the end of this cycle the plate would be completely empty.

Citizens in Elizabethan England would eat 2-3 times a day. Nothing really changed in what they ate at different times of the day. People ate what they could get, but it didn’t matter for what meal they ate the food. A typical breakfast would have normally been on the go but, that depended on if a person decided to eat it or not. A common breakfast might have consisted of porridge, stew or leftovers. But the upper class usually ate well with meals with bread, cheese, butter, wine, fruit and some kind of meat. Now that is good eating!

Common people relied on mutton and domestic grown grains and herbs as their main source of food. This is a commoner’s recipe for making pottage or porridge (Singman 143). · wash meat to prepare for cooking · cut a rack of mutton (about 1 ½ lbs) into 1-inch cubes (leg meat and joints are the best for eating) · place meat in a pot with 6 cups of water · bring to a boil over the fire · chop together 1 cup endive, 1 ½ cup spinach, 1 ½ cup scallions, 1 cup parsley and 2 cups rolled oats (preferably violet leaves, succory, strawberry leaves, ox-tongue and marigold flowers) · stir the herbs and oatmeal into the pot · cover and let simmer gently for about 1 hour or until the meat is tender (stir periodically) · add salt for flavor

Food was food. Elizabethan’s used what they had available to them. The food cycle made sure that no one went hungry, even if this meant eating the bad parts of animals or distasteful things. If food was in your stomach then you were just fine.

Works Cited Davis, Michael. //The England of William Shakespeare//. 1st American ed. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1987. 193-196. Print. Rozakis, Laurie. //The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare//. New York, NY: Alpha Books, 1999. 9-11. Print. Singman, Jeffrey. //Daily Life In Elizabethan England//. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995. 131-147. Print. Winter, William. //Shakespeare's England//. New York, NY: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1910. 102-114. Print.