ELIZABETHAN FOOD

VISUAL EFFECTS

• In the early Medieval era meat was a sign of wealth.
• Peacocks were reared for consumption but their feathers were used to decorate cooked foods.
• Cultivation of fruit trees and bee hives was also seen during the Elizabethan era.

CONT.

• Elizabethan enjoyed a variety of serving methods, colors and various 'props'.
• The old English Nursery Rhyme "Sing a song of sixpence' contains the phrase '4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie'.

PURCHASING

• Elizabethan Food was generally purchased from small markets and from fairs.
• In London there were specific markets which sold either fish, dairy products or fruit and vegetables.
• They were mainly sold in large cities like London.
• Meat was sold at large livestock markets.

COOKING UTENSILS

• Useful cooking utensils were: pots, pans, kettles, and skillets.
• To prepare the food knives, ladles, meatforks, and scissors were used.
• Elizabethan cooks used a baking tray made of hardened pastry.

DRINKS

• Water was not clean in the Middle Ages and people therefore drank wine and ale.
• Honey was used to make a sweet alcoholic drink called mead which was drunk by all classes.
• Wine was generally imported although some fruit wines were produced in England.

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-food.htm