The Role Of Food In The Elizabethan Era

Food in the Elizabethan Era

Many aspects of life in the Elizabethan era are unlike today. One of those aspects is what they ate. What was affordable and what the societal norm was varies from what we know now. The poor had very little food, and what they did have had almost no change in daily diet, which was a far cry from their rich counterparts. What they ate was mainly meat, fish, and bread. They did not have access to the wide variety of food that we have in this day and age. There were no man made or processed foods, of which make up a lot of the American diet today. The food of the Elizabethan era was much different than the present day, especially in the areas of availability, types of food, and what one could afford.

Many foods that we have access to at most

stores, were not even known to the people of the Elizabethan era. If they were, they were not available as quickly and easily as they are now. For example, if one wanted to get meat, they would have to go to a certain market that was just for meats (Alchin). There were also ovens in common areas where the public could bake their foods as many of the poor did not have one (Alchin). Some aspects that were like they are now are the pies and pastries that could be purchased pre-cooked (Alchin). If a town was not on a harbor, or near one, the fish would not be fresh, unlike if it were in markets today (Sharnette). The people of the 16th century certainly had a harder time acquiring their desired foods than people do now.
Along with trouble accessing food, they had a peculiar diet in place , as well. Some ate peacock and lamb, while others dined on pigeons with bread and butter (Sharnette). The Elizabethans generally ate quite a bit of meat, especially fish - which was actually not considered to be a meat (Picard 153). Elizabeth passed an act that made it finable if one did not consume fish every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday;although this seems odd, it had a purpose - to keep the fishing industry alive and well (Picard 153). These people would also enjoy an occasional odd meal, consisting of calf lungs and other things the people of today would consider taboo (Picard 156). With food not being as adequate as one might prefer now, water was in the same situation. Water in these times was quite like many other aspects of Elizabethan life: unsanitary;as a result, they drank a great deal of ale instead (Sharnette). When looking at the foods eaten today and the foods in the 16th century, it is obvious that some changes have been made.
Another thing that set the people of Elizabethan times apart from the now is the stark contrast in what one could eat, solely based on if they had money.

If a family was poor in this time, there was a great chance that the children would die of starvation, as there was no money to buy food (Fox 13). In 1597, inflation rates caused the pound to be worth only about half of what it had been, making matters even worse (Fox 14). Their meals consisted of some meat, mainly fish and other white meats, and breads (Sharnette). In town, the tenants of the house would eat first - often in large, multiple course, quantities - before giving the servants what was left over (Burton 138). Contrasting to the poor, the rich and wealthy had much to eat, and usually, the majority of it was meat (Burton 150). At parties they would have many courses and generous amounts of meat, ale, beer, and wine (Burton 150). At a normal meal they would eat one course meals consisting of mainly red meat, beef, and white meat (Burton 150). The rich also enjoyed sugar, to the point that they would eat it until it blackened their teeth (Sharnette). Obviously, there was a difference in the quality of life based on the amount of money one

had.
The Elizabethan era is distant from what is expected of today. This is evident in the cases of the availability of food, what was eaten, and what was available for the different classes. There were no super markets in the 16th century, so it was much harder to get different kinds of food as it would take up a great deal of time going to all of the markets. Elizabethans also ate a unique diet compared to the ones we have today. In this time, variety was a luxury available to only the wealthy. The poor had very little variance in their day to day meals, if they even got a meal on that particular day. 16th century England was a drastically different culture than is known now, especially in the aspect of food.