I know this is very long, but there is alot of great information she can use.Also, it is very interesting as well. Good luck to her and you. Take care
FOOD IN TUDOR ENGLAND
The time period that is encompassed by the reigns of the Tudors - 1485 to 1603 - was a time of change in just about every aspect of culture and life, with food being no exception. The food of the people of Tudor times began to change from that of their medieval ancestors with the introduction of foods from the New World.
FOOD ANIMALS
Sheep proved to be a very good commercial product. They provided wool, milk and meat, as well as skin for parchment. English wool became known for its quality all over Europe. Eating sheep's meat (mutton) added nutrition to the diet of the poor, as well as easier access to milk and cheese. Eventually though, people began to prefer the cow's dairy products and the popularity of sheep for dairy waned.
BANQUETS
The banquet would have been a crowded and noisy affair. Guests would have brought retainers who would act as gophers to their masters. The highest members of society may have also brought tasters along to see if the food was poisoned. Servants would have been running around bringing wine, food, and fresh trenchers. Dogs may have been a common sight gnawing on bones and scraps on the floor. Entertainment, such as much as music and acrobats would have further added to the bustle and noise.
FOODS FROM THE NEW WORLD
Looking for a shortcut to the spice rich lands of Asia to help cut out the expensive middle-man of the overland trade route, Christopher Columbus set off with the financing of Isabella of Spain.
Of course, we know now that if you sail west from Europe, you'll hit the Americas, not Asia. Columbus landed in the "Indies" on his first voyage and Haiti on his second where he discovered the other type of pepper we know today.
Many new foods came to Europe from the newly discovered lands in the west: Maize, potatoes, chocolate, peanuts, vanilla, tomatoes, pineapples, lima beans, sweet and chili peppers, tapioca and the turkey.
The turkey arrived in Europe in 1523 or 1524 and in England shortly after that. The potato reached England at some point in the late 1500s. Most likely, Sir Francis Drake brought them from Cartegena when he picked up supplies there.
English sailors found vast supplies of cod off the coast of what we now call Newfoundland in the late 1490s and began catching and bringing them back to England.
COOKING PRESERVED FOODS
Getting rid of the salt of preserved food when you actually wanted to prepare it was done by a number of techniques. The easiest, and therefore the most common, was to cook (or serve) the salted meat with something that would absorb the salt, usually dried peas, beans, bread crumbs or grains (left whole). In poorer kitchens, pureed beans and bacon were used. In richer households, additional fruits or spices would be used to help cover the saltiness of the meat. Since a lot of starch and/or cream was used in these dishes, relatively large quantities of the spices would be needed in order to actually taste them.
Parboiled meats were often served with a separate thick 'anti-salt' sauce.
Frumenty- a thick pudding of whole wheat grains and almond milk (sometimes enriched with egg yolks and saffron was added for color) It was a common side for venison.
Mortrews- boiled white meat or fish was made in a paste by putting them in a mortar and pestle then combined with breadcrumbs, stock and eggs and boiling it again. Last, pepper and ginger were added before serving.
Blank mang (or blamanger) - chicken was shredded and then mixed with whole rice (which had been boiled in almond milk). Then it was seasoned with sugar or salt and then cooked until thick. Last, it would be garnished with fried almonds and preserved anise seeds.
Sauces for salted, as well as fresh, meat became very popular and could be purchased from a professional sauce maker.
"yellow sauce" with ginger and saffron
"green sauce" with ginger, cloves, cardamom and green herbs
"cameline sauce" with cinnamon as the main spice ingredient
In England cameline was prepared by taking "raisins of Corinth, and kernels of nuts, and crust of bread and powder of ginger, cloves, flour of cinnamon, pound it well together and add it thereto. Salt it, temper it up with vinegar, and serve it forth." (Forme of Cury)
Dried fish would be given added flavor by adding mustard or vinegar. The wealthier used sauces or fruits for variety.
FOOD PRESERVATION
In medieval times, people occasionally had to go for long stretches with little or no fresh meat. Instead, they relied on dried or salt-preserved meats during those times. The challenge of cooking then became to find a way for making meals interesting. Part of the reason people had to depend on preserved foods at times was the expense and difficulty in keeping animals during the winter, especially in northern Europe.
Salt-Preserving
1) Dry-salting = meat or fish is buried in granular salt
2) brine-curing = meat is put in a strong salt-water
Since salt was fairly expensive, generally only meats high in fat would be preserved. Mutton wasn't preserved as often since the meat is usually tough and string and was literally 'not worth its salt'.
The origins of salt-preserving food can be traced back to at least Ancient Egypt, where they used salt as part of the embalming process, as well as in food preservations. After the spread of Christianity, the business of salt-preserving fish because quite profitable, since fresh fish for the 40 days of Lent was difficult to come by for many people. Herring was the most common fish to be salted. It was essential that the herring be preserved quickly since its abundant oil tended to turn rancid within a day after the catch.
Ways of producing salt in Medieval times
1) Mining salt deposits formed from ancient seas (not very common)
2) Brine from salt springs (better quality than sea salt)
3) Evaporating sea water
Salt springs were higher in saline and didn't have extra mineral salts such as calcium and magnesium salts which you get from sea water. Of course, this made spring salts very expensive, especially since it was a limited resource. There was also a method of making salt through burning peat soaked in salt water. This produced a fine salt powder, but it was also a limited resource.
Bourgneuf Bay of Brittany produced large amounts of salt extracted from the sea, but it was coarse and of low quality, usually mixed with the remains of seaweed, sand and other contaminants. Sometimes this would make the salt a black, grey or green color. However, it was cheap. The problem with using this coarse sea salt was that it was slow to penetrate the inner parts of the meats, causing it to go bad before it was completely preserved.
Preservation by drying
This method was most often used for fish in Europe, rather than meats. It worked best with less oily fish such as cod and haddock. In cooler damp climates, this process would have required shelter from the elements and supply of fuel. The Norwegians prepared cod by exposing them to cool, crisp air and produced 'stock-fish' by the thousands. One way these would have been prepared for eating would be to pound then, then soak them in water, then cook them.
TABLE MANNERS
Since you usually had several people digging into a common dish with their fingers, having clean hands was important. People were advised by the "Miss Manners" of the day to wash their hands out in the open where everyone could see and then be assured your hands were clean.
Of course, it was another matter to keep your hands clean during the meal. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, manuals for manners gave a list of things people should refrain from during a meal, such as:
- don't put your fingers in your ears
- don't put your hands on your heads
- don't blow your nose with your hands
- men were told to refrain from "scratching"
Other bad manners advised against were: people blowing their noses or wiping off sweat with their napkins; people poking around on a plate (probably looking for the better piece of food) and putting bones back on a platter after eating the meat off. We would consider their "proper" place for bones - the floor- pretty crude today! The "release of wind" was also frowned upon.
THE MEDIEVAL MENU
For the poor, a dark bread of rye, barley, or maslin (sometimes with pea or bean flour mixed in) broth, maybe cheese and a bowl of curds were typical meals. Servants in households were usually better fed, with beef or fowl for meats, better breads, pudding, salt herring, cheese, dried cod and ale (which was probably made on the estate).
The middle class merchant and minor nobility would have had a variety of courses. Each course would have had several different dishes brought out at the same time and then the people would have chosen what to eat. The courses would not have been divided up into categories like we do today.
Here is an example from a late 14th century Parisian menu (Menagier de Paris):
FIRST COURSE
Miniature pastries filled either with cod liver or beef marrow
A cameline meat "brewet" (pieces of meat in a thin cinnamon sauce)
Beef marrow fritters
Eels in a thick spicy puree
Loach in a cold green sauce flavored with spices and sage
Large cuts of roast or boiled meat
Saltwater fish
SECOND COURSE
"The best roast that may be had"
Freshwater fish
Broth with bacon
A meat tile (pieces of chicken or veal, simmered, sautéed, served in a spiced sauce of pounded crayfish tails, almonds and toasted bread and garnished with whole crayfish tails)
Capon pasties and crisps
Bream and eel pasties
Blang Mang
THIRD COURSE
Frumenty
Venison
Lampreys with hot sauce
Fritters
Roast bream and darioles
Sturgeon
Jellies
Manor houses from the country would add game birds. After the meal would come the sweets and confections, then maybe some spiced wine or even whole spices, which were thought to aid in digestion.
The rich aristocracy would not necessarily have had different foods from the middle class, but more of it overall. And, there were more curious things on the wealthy table, such as figures molded from jelly or pastry, such as lions or crowns or birds.
EATING UTENSILS AND TABLEWARE
Some food was made into self-contained packages, such as pasties and pies. Soups would have had 'sops' - pieces of bread or meat floating in it Most people had knives and spoons, but a fork was very rare, and still considered an oddity in most of Europe until the 1700s.
Usually only the wealthy would have had their own plates and cups. Lower classes would have shared plates in pairs. People would also have trenchers - thick unleavened bread about 6 x 4 inches, which was essentially a bread plate. Sometimes the left over trencher would be given to the poor, sometimes the dogs, and sometimes eaten by the diner himself. In the late Middle Ages, the trenchers began to be replaced by a square piece of wood with a circular depression in the middle. Most food would be eaten with the fingers, although some people would use their knives. The food would be taken from the serving plate and then placed on the trencher and then eaten.
RECIPES
from the Tudor Kitchens at Hampton Court Palace
Apple Fritters
FRITTERS
Take a little faire warme water, as much sack, and take half flower half bread, mingle them altogether: then take five or six egges and break therein whites and all, a little nutmeg, pepper and salt and cut in appells very small then take a faire skillet with suet and let it boyle on the fire and so put the batter in it.
Apple Sauce for Roast Pork
PIGGE SAUCE
Take halfe vinegar and half Vergis, a handfull of percely and sage chopte very small, a pomewater shredde very small, then take the gravie of the pigge with sugar and pepper and boyle them together.
Bread Sauce for Rabbit or Chicken
A SAUCE FOR A ROSTED RABBET
Take a handfull of washed percely, mince it small, boyle it with butter and verjuice upon a chafing dish, season it with suger and a little pepper grosse beaten: when it is ready put in a fewe crummes of white bread, amongst the other: let it boyle againe till it be thicke, then laye it in a platter, like the breadthe of three fingers, laye of each side one rosted conney and so serve them.
Cream of Almonds
FRIDE CREME OF ALMAUNDYS
Take almaundys an stampe hem an draw it up wyth a fyne thykke milke y-temperyd with clene water; throw hem on, an sette hem in the fyre and let boyle onys; than tak hem a-down an caste salt ther-on an let hem reste a forlongwey or to, an caste a lytyl sugre ther-to; an than caste it on a fayre lynen clothe, fayre y-wasche an drye, an caste it al a-brode on the clothe with a fayre ladel: an let the cloth bin holdyn a-borde an late all the water under-nethe the clothe be had a-way, an thanne gadere alle the kreme in the clothe, an let hogny on an pyn an let the water droppe out to iii owrys; than tak it of the pyn an put it on a bolle of tre, and caste whyte sugre y-now ther-to an a lytil salt, and if it wexe thikke, take swete wyn an put ther-to that it be not sene: and whan it is I-dressid in the manner of mortrewys take red anys in comfyte or the lewys of borage an sette hem on the dysshe an serve forth.
French Toast
PAYN PUREUZ
Take faire yolkes of eyren, and try hem from the white, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour; and then take salte, and caste thereto; and then take manged brede or paynman, and kutte hit in leches; and then take faire butter, and clarefy hit or elles take fressh grece and put hit yn a faire pan and make hit hote; And then wete the brede well there in the yolkes of eyren, and then ley hit on the batur in the pan, whan the buttur is al hote; and then whan it is fried ynowe, take sugur ynowe, and caste there-to whan hit it in the dissh. And so serve hit forth.
Gilded Marzipan Cake
TO MAKE MARCHPANE AND TO GILD MARCHPANE, OR ANY OTHER KIND OF TARTE
Take half a pounde of blanched Almondes, and of white suger a quarter of a pound, of Rosewater halfe an ounce, and of Damask water as much: beate the Almondes with a little of the same water, and grind them till they be small: set them on a fewe coales offyre, till they ware thicke, then beate them againe with the suger, fine: then mixe the sweete waters and them together and so gather them and fashion your Marchpane: then take wafer cakes of the broadest makeing, cut them square, paste them together with a little liquor, and when ye have made them as broad as will serve your purpose have ready made a hoope of green hazell wand, of the thickenesse of halfe an ynche... lay this hoope upon your wafer cakes... and cut away all the partes of the Cakes... with a sharp knife.. then having white paper underneath it, set it upon a warme hearth, or upon an instrument or yron or brasse, made for the same purpose.. and ye may while it is moyste sticke it full of Comfets of sundrie colours, in a comely order, ye must moist it over with Rose water and suger together... The greatest secret that is in the making of this cleare, is with a littlefine flower of Rice, rosewater and Suger beaten together and layde thin over the Marchpane ere it goe to drying. This will make it Shine like Ice as Ladies report.
Take and cut your leafe of golde, as it lieth upon the booke, into square peeces like Dice and with a Conies tailes end moysted a little, take the golde up by the one corner, lay it on the place beeing first made moyste, and with another tayle of a Conie drie presse the golde downe close. And if ye will have the forme of an Harte, or the name of Iesus, or any other thing whatsoever: cut the same through a peece of paper and lay the paper upon your Marchpane or Tart; then make the voide place of the Paper (through which the Marchpane appeareth) moyste with Rose Water, laye on your golde, presse it down, take off your Paper and there remaineth behinde in golde the print cut in the saide paper.
Gingerbread
GYNGERBREDE
Take a quart of hony and sethe it and skime it clene; take Safroun, pouder Pepir and throw theron; take gratyd Brede and make it so chargeaunt that it wol be y-lechyd; then take pouder canelle and straw ther-on y-now; then make yt square, lyke as thou wolt leche yt; take when tho lechyst hyt, an caste Box leves a-bowyn, y-stykyd ther-on, on clowys. An if thou wolt have it Red, colour it with Saunderys y-now.
Gooseberry Tart with Saffron Pastry
TO MAKE A TART OF GOOSEBERRIES
Take goseberies and parboyle then in white wine claret or ale, and boyle withall a little white bread, then take them up and drawe them through a strayner as thick as you can, with the yolkes of five Egges, then season it up with suger, halfe a dishe of butter, to bake it.
TO MAKE SHORT PASTE FOR A TARTE
Take fine flower, a little faire water, and a dish of sweete butter, and a little saffron and the yolkes of two egges and make it thin and tender as ye may.
Hippocras (Spiced Red Wine)
TO MAKE IPPOCRAS
Take of chosen Cinamon two ounces, of fine Ginger one ounce, of Graines halfe an ounce, bruse them all and stampe them in three or fower pints of good odiferous wine, with a pound of suger, by the space of foure and twenty houres, than put them into an Ipocrasse bagge of wollen and so receive the liquor. The readiest and best way is to put the spices with the halfe pounde of suger, and the wine into a bottell, or a stone potte stopped close, and after xxiiii houres it will be ready, then cast a thinne linnen cloth, or a piece of boulter clothe on the mouthe and let in so much run through as ye will occupie at once, and keepe ye vessell close, for it will so well keep bothe the spirite, odour and vertue of the wine and the spices.
Lamb Stew with Chicken and Raisins
FOR TO STEWE MUTTON
Take a necke of mutton and a brest to make the broth stronge and then scum it cleane and when it hath boyled a while, take part of the broth and put it into another pot and put thereto a pound of raisins and let them boyle till they be tender, then strayne a little bread with the Raisins and the broth all together, then chop time, sawge and Persley with other small hearbes and put into the mutton then put in the strayned raysins with whole prunes, cloves and mace, pepper, saffron and a little salt and if ye may stew a chicken withall or els sparrowes or such other small byrdes.
Pears in a Rich Spiced Honey Syrup
FOR TO MAKE WARDENS IN CONSERVE
Fyrst make the syrope in this wise, take a quarte of goode Rumney and put a pint of clarifyied honye, a pounde or a halfe of Suger, and mingle all those together over the fire till tyme they sethe and then set it to coole. And this is a good syrup for manye thinges and will be kept for a yeare or two. Then take they Warden and scrape cleane awaye the barke, but pare them not, and sethe them in good redde Wyne, so that they be well soked and tender that the Wine be neare hand soked into them, then take and strayne them throughe a cloth, or through a strayner into a vessell, then put to them of this syrope aforesayde till it be almost filled and then cast in the pouders, as fine caney, cinnamon, pouder of Ginger and suche and put it in boxes and kepe it if thou wilt.
Ryschewys close & Fryez
Take Fygys, & grynd hem smal in a mortere with a lytil Oyle, & grynd with hym clowys, & Maces; & than take it uppe In-to a vesselle, & mencyd Datys, Pouder Pepir, Canel, Salt, Safroun; than take fyne past of flowr an water, Sugre, Safroun, & salt, & make fayre cakys ther-of, than rolle thin stuf in thin hond, & couche it in the cakys, & kyt it, & fold hym as Ruschewys, & frye hem uppe in Oyle; and serue forth hote.
British Library (Harleian MS 279)
To make Ryschewys close & Fryez you will need:
Figs, oil, ground cloves, ground mace, dates, ground pepper, ground cinnamon, salt, saffron, flour, water and sugar.
First you will need to make a pasta dough of flour, water, sugar, saffron and salt and leave it to rest. This may seem daunting to many, but look in a modern cook book for hints, it isn't as hard as it may seem. Now take the figs and grind them to a paste in a mortar, including a little oil. Mix into this paste, cloves and mace to taste. Be careful here as too much clove will overpower the dish. Mince a similar quantity of dates and add this to your figs and season with salt, pepper, cinammon and saffron. Take the dough and roll it out, then cut small disks out of it. Pick up some of the friut mix in your hand and roll it into a sausage, placing this into the disc of dough. Seal the fruit in the dough by forming a pasty-style shape and fry in oil until golden. Serve them immediately, but beware of the filling, as this can be extremely hot.
Roast Pork With Raisin and Rosemary Stuffing
TO ROSTE A PIGGE
Take your pig and drawe it and take lixor and parboyle yt and stire yt with a little creame and yokl of egg, and put thereto grated breade, mary, small raysons, nuttmeg, pouder of mace, sugar and salt stire these together and put into the pigs belly and sewe up the pigs belly and spitt him with the haire on and when it is half enough put off the skinne and take hede for tearing of the fatt, thereon. Then bast yt well and rub on it with creame and fine bread crumbs, sugar, cinammon and ginger and let it be done browne.
Salmon and Fig Fish Pies
NESE BEKYS
Take Fygys and grynd hem wel; then take F(re)yssche Samoun and goode Freyssche Elys wyl y-sothe, and pyke out the bonys, and grynd the Fyssche with the fygis and do there-to pouder Gyngere, Canelle; and take fayre past (of) Floure and make fayre cakys ryth thinne, and take of the fars, and lay on the cake and close with a-nother, then take a Sawcere, and skoure the sydis and close the cake, and Frye hem in Oyle, and if thou wolt have hym partye, coloure hym with Safroun, Percely and Sawndderys and serve forth for a gode fryid mete.
Spiced Custard with Dates and Raisins
TO MAKE A GOOD CUSTARD
Take a platter full of Creame, if it bee a quart, then take six yolks of Egges, to a pint three Egges, and when you set your Creame, over the fire, cut your butter in small peeces and put it into your creame, and it be little more than the quantitie of a Walnut it is enough and season it with Salt, Sugar, cloves, mace and safron, and so cover it, and let it be set upon a chafing dish or pot of seething water, and when it is well hardned cast on it minced Dates and Small Raisons and so let it boyle till ye think it be wel hardned and then serve them foorth.
Whole Baked Fish with Spices and Prunes
BAKED CARP
Take of the Scales and take foorth the Gall and with Cloves, mace and salte, season it and take corans and prunes and put about the carpe and take butter and put it upon him and let him bake two hours.
GLOSSARY OF FOOD TERMS
bolle of tre = treen (wooden) bowl
canelle = cinnamon
coney = rabbit
eyren = eggs
fars = stuffing
fride = cold
hippocras bag = conical bag of cotton or wood used as a filter
manged brede = manchet bread
mary = rosemary
payn man = bread loaf
pomewater = a type of apple
sack = a dry amber wine from Spain
saunders = sandalwood spice
seeth/sethe = boil
try = pull
vergis = verjuice (unripened crab apple liquid)
y-sothe = boiled
y-lechyd = cut in slices
I hopes this helps your daughter and tell her Good Luck and do her best.Please let us know how she did on this paper. I ber she will do real well. Take care