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ELIZABETHAN FOOD
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Elizabethan Food
Elizabethan Food and Drink
Economic and
Social Class Availability of Food
The availability of food during the Elizabethan Era was
based on economic and social class standing. Home grown
produce was used to feed the majority of the English.
Poor harvests which occurred during the 1590’s, had a
bad effect on the economy and led to starvation in some
areas. The booming wool trade changed the face of
agriculture and the land enclosures led to and increase
of the number of people living in poverty and the
introduction of the 1601 Poor Law.
.jpg) Social class played a very important role in Elizabethan
England in almost every aspect of life. Food and drink
were no exception to this rule; it varied according to
status and wealth. The availability of food to the
people of England also depended on the social classes.
The food available to the Upper Class differed
considerable to the food available to the lower class.
The Upper Class also enjoyed various spices imported
from abroad.
Presentation of food was also important during the
Elizabethan era especially for the nobility. It was
important that their feasts and banquets had a great
visual effect. Colors, different serving methods, and
various “props” also used to enhance the presentation of
a meal. Peacocks were not raised just for the meat of
the poultry but also for its feathers. The feathers were
used to decorate the foods that were served during the
banquets. Any imported foods were expensive and out of
the reach of Lower classes and used primarily by the
monarch and nobility classes.
.jpg) Meat was the primary food consumed by the wealthy and
privileged class. It was the most popular food and
usually sold a large livestock markets. The rich of
Elizabethan England ate well. Meats such as lamb, beef,
mutton, pork, goat, bacon, veal, rabbit, and fowl such
as peacocks, swans, herons, and goose were served.
Chicken were believed to be introduced to England by the
Romans. Only Lords and Nobles were allowed to hunt deer,
boar, hares and rabbits. They also ate different kinds
of freshwater and ocean fish such as herring, salmon,
eel, whiting, cod, trout and pike. Shell fish including
crab, oysters, mussels and cockles were also featured in
Elizabethan recipes.
.jpg) Meat, fishes and poultry were cooked in varied ways as
well. Some of the more common methods were spit,
roasting, baking, boiling, smoking, salting and frying.
Smoking of the meat was very popular and was intended to
preserve the food. The people during this era mostly
preferred cooking that done over an open flame. Meat was
cooked on a spit which was sometimes turned by a dog
running on a circular treadmill attached to the end of
the spit. Other useful cooking utensils for cooking over
an open flame were pots, pans, skillets and cauldrons.
Food preparation was made possible with the use of
ladles, knives, meat forks, and scissors. Baking trays
made from hardened pastry called a “coffin” was used for
baking. Baking was also done in iron boxes laid on the
fire or in a brick oven that was set into the side of a
fireplace. The mortar and pestle were essential in
grinding nuts and spices for the Elizabethan recipes
that was kept in a book by each cook. In the Upper
Classes, the kitchens were in large houses or castles
some distance from the main house and food was generally
served cold.
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Improved agriculture techniques and inventions gave way
to an increase in herbs, vegetables, and fruits such as
turnips, parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks, garlic and
radishes, apples, pears, plums, cherries and woodland
strawberries. It was common to prepare these by roasting
or boiling and serving with bread.
Sugar, honey, and marzipan became popular during this
era as the Tudors were very fond of desserts. Sugar was
imported to England, having been obtained from sugar
cane. They enjoyed pastries, tarts, cakes, cream,
custard, and crystallized fruit and syrup. On special
occasions such as banquets, all kinds of specialties
would be made out of sugar and marzipan such as animals,
birds, fruits or baskets. Sometimes wine glasses, dishes
would be made out of crisp molded sugar called
sugar-plate which would be elaborately decorated.
.jpg) Food items were generally purchased from small markets
and from fairs. In larger cities there were specific
markets which sold fish, dairy products, fruits and
vegetables. The term “vegetable” was rarely used to
describe what we call vegetables today. Instead the term
“herb” was used for all green plants, roots, and herbs.
Food items that came from the ground were only good
enough for the lower classes. Only vegetables such as
rape, onions, garlic and leeks were set on a Noble’s
table.
Food began changing over the course of the Tudor period.
More and more foods were being introduced into society
as they were discovered in the New World. Tomatoes or
“love apples” from Mexico, Turkey from Central America,
Kidney Beans from Peru and of course the famous potatoes
brought to England by Sir Walter Raleigh. Chili peppers,
including red peppers, cayenne, and paprika were also
imported from the New World. One of the most sought
after spices was pepper. The discovery of Chili peppers
in the New World was very encouraging to the Elizabethan
explorers. Vanilla, pineapples, lima beans, peanuts,
tapioca, pumpkins, corn, avocado, pecans, cashews,
squash, coffee, maize, chocolate and tea were also
introduced during the Elizabethan era.
 The Early Crusaders had brought back to England the
element of eastern cooking with spices such as pepper,
cinnamon, mace, ginger, cloves, raisins, saffron and
sugar. These Medieval recipes were passed down to
Elizabethan recipes. Spices were welcomed in the
preparation of a meal as their distinctive flavors
disguised the strong and dominate taste of salt which
was used to preserve the meat. Spices were very
expensive and used in these cooking recipes for the
Upper Class. It became a matter of both social fashion
and prestige and a sign of wealth and high social
status. The Oriental Spice Trade was very important and
the most profitable in European trade. The drive for
profit through new spices as well as the quest for gold
and silver was what encouraged the explorations of Sir
Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh.
 Elizabethan Drink
Water was not clean during the Elizabethan Era, and thus
people drank ale and wine. The Upper Classes drank both
and the Lower Classes just drank ale. Honey was used to
make a sweet alcoholic drink called mead which was drunk
by all classes. Wine was imported, although there were a
few fruit wines produced in England. Most of the wines
were sweet and rather heavy. They probably had to be
strained before they could be drunk, and could still
have solid matter floating in them. “Apple-wine”, a form
of cider was also produced during the Elizabethan era.
Ales were brewed with malt and water and were relatively
flat, while beer contained hops of a bitter flavor.
Bayberries, orris, and long pepper were flavors that
could be added to ales and beers for a variety of
tastes. It was estimated that a person would consume
about a gallon a day of weak low alcohol drinks during
the Elizabethan era.
 Daily Meals
The main parts of the basic diet during Elizabethan
times were bread, meat, and fish. Bread was the most
important component of the diet. The Upper Classes ate
Manchet, a bread loaf made of wheat flour. The Lower
Classes ate bread loaves of rye and barley.
Dairy products produced during Elizabethan England
included milk, cream, butter and cheese. Milk was used
as a beverage, and cream, curds, whey, butter and cheese
was a by-product of this commodity. Strawberries and
cream was a delightful treat and eggs were abundantly
consumed. Several types of cheeses were available during
this era.
Hard cheeses were made from skimmed milk, and soft
cheeses were made from whole milk. Butter was stored in
wooden barrels called firkins and was only used by the
Upper Class for cooking food as all dairy products were
determined inferior foods and only to be eaten by the
poor.
.jpg) Biscuits, invented by the Crusaders were considered a
convenience food during the Elizabethan era. The
“Ploughman’s Lunch” consisting of cheese and bread was a
staple diet of the Lower Class workers. Communal ovens
were also available in villages for baking pastries and
pies with cooked roasted meat which were sold on the
street to the villagers during an outing to the Theatre
or a fair.
How many times a day you ate and what you ate with
depended on your social class. Upper classes and
nobility would eat three meals a day using glass, delft
from Holland and silverware. China ware was unknown at
this time. Lower classes would eat two to three meals a
day using wooden or horn dishes and pewter. Everyone
used their own knife, and spoons were rarely used as
soup and liquids were drunk from a cup. Forks had just
been introduced in the late 14th century and were still
evolving around the country.
The Upper Classes would usually eat breakfast consisting
of food and drink between 6-7 am. Dinner was the midday
meal of food and drink served between noon and 2 pm.
Supper was a substantial meal of food and drink served
between 6-7 pm along with various forms of
entertainment. The Lower Classes meals were far less
elaborate than the Upper Classes and did not include
entertainment during supper. The average Lower Class
citizen consumed at least ½ lb of bread, 1 pint of beer,
1 pint of porridge and ¼ lb of meat daily. This could be
supplemented by some dairy products, and vegetables were
the main ingredient of their soups. Food for a Tudor
soldier would consists of 2 lb. of beef or mutton
accompanied with 1 lb. of cheese, ½ lb of butter, 1 ½ lb
of bread, and almost a gallon of beer. Beer in the
Elizabethan era had a very low content of alcohol. The
quantity and content of the food eaten by the Upper
Class was considerably different form the diet of the
Lower Classes. The number of courses and variety of the
foods consumed by the Upper Class included expensive
spices and ingredients and exotic recipes.
Preservation
Food varied according to season as there were no methods
of freezing foods in Elizabethan England. For economic
reasons, animals were slaughtered in the fall of the
year as to not have to feed them during the winter. Salt
was used to preserve the meats and thus the food always
had a salty taste. Methods were introduced to disguise
the salty taste. Spices, including pepper, mustard,
saffron, cloves, cardimon and cinnamon were added to
recipes and a variety of sauces were used to disguise
the salty taste. Stews and potages formed an important
element in the diet of Middle and Lower Classes. The
introduction of food processing was used to soften meat
and vegetables. Soaking roots, leaves, seeds, nuts and
berries in cold water for several hours made the food
easier to digest. Salted meats and fish were rinsed in
several changes of liquid before cooking to weaken the
salty taste. Pickling and smoking were also used as
methods of preservation.
Fresh flowers and herbs were preserved to use in
flavoring winter dishes. The preparation of preserved
food took place in the Stillroom. This is where
distillations, preserves and delicate floral syrups were
prepared. The Stillroom was also used to prepare
medicinal tinctures and herbal potions. The most
important use if the Stillroom was to produce alcoholic
beverages.
The Upper Class could afford to expand the use of sugar
and honey as a sweetener in many Elizabethan recipes.
Jams, marmalades and curds were made from a variety of
fruits.
Elizabethan
Diet
Elizabethan food and drink did not constitute a good
balanced diet. The rich ate few fresh vegetables and
little fresh fruit. Fruit was usually served in pies or
preserved in honey. Vegetables and fresh fruit were
eaten by the poor, usually in some form of stew, soup or
porridge. Food items which came from the ground and
dairy products were considered only fit for the poor.
The diet of the poor and Lower Classes was better than
those of the Nobles and Upper Class. Because of the
snobbery of eating fresh vegetables, fruits and dairy
products the Upper Classes suffered from lack of Vitamin
C, calcium and fiber in their diet. This led to an
assortment of health problems for those running the
country. Bad teeth, skin diseases, scurvy, and rickets
were just a few health problems the rich encountered.
Sugar, only affordable to the rich was known to blacken
teeth. It became fashionable to have your teeth
blackened by applying cosmetics to get this effect if
enough quantities of sugar were not available to you.
Religion played an important part in the diet of the
Elizabethan people. There were certain times the eating
of meat was banned. Certain religious observances banned
the eating of meat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Meat was also banned during the religious seasons of
Lent and Advent and on the eves of many religious
holidays. Fasting and abstaining from meat was observed
for over half the days of the year.
 Elizabethan
Banquet & Feast
The Elizabethan Royalty, Nobility and Upper Classes were
known throughout the country for their lavish and
sumptuous banquets and feasts. New foods and spices
arriving daily from the New World inspired new recipes
using the finest foods and ingredients. The Royal
banquets of the Elizabethan Era were the most
magnificent. The Tudor Dynasty, especially the father of
Queen Elizabeth, King Henry VIII was always in
competition with the French King.
Cooks employed by Nobles during the Elizabethan era
would endeavor to provide Queen Elizabeth with a feast
or banquet of a similar standard and content set by the
high standards set by the French. An example of an
Elizabethan Banquet is outlined:
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