Eunjung

=Eating for an Elizabethan Commoner =

In the Elizabethan times, it was thought that the most important need for anyone was food (Singman 131). Everyone in England made sure to have a hearty diet. Elizabethans almost ate too much, as they became notorious for eating abundant amounts. The diet for Elizabethans heavily depended on the social status. One key indicator of wealth was how much meat was on the table. Ironically, the lower the social status, the more nutritionally balanced the meal was since the higher class ate too much meet did not eat foods that came from the ground (most vegetables). The commoners had a fairly healthy diet and usually ate 2 or 3 meals a day. They also ate little snacks like bread with butter whenever they were hungry throughout the day (Elizabethan Food).

Meals
 Like today, most people in the Elizabethan Era did not eat breakfast. Even if someone did, it was more of an on-the-go meal rather than a sit-down meal. This meal was usually in between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning. A typical breakfast consisted of porridge or pottage, scraps and leftovers. For those who had a large appetite for a heartier meal, also ate bread with cheese or butter, ale, fruit and meat. Dinner was usually considered the first "real" meal of the day. For the commoner, this meal was the biggest and was eaten around 11 to 2 o'clock. From sometime in between 6 and 9 o'clock, supper was served. For commoners, meals were served in one huge course and only the wealthy ate in multiple courses. Meals usually consisted of bread with butter or cheese, fish, vegetables (which were then called herbs) and occasionally meat (Singman 131-132).

Cooking Methods
The three main cooking methods involved fire: boiling, roasting and baking. Boiling was the most common method because it was so easy. The food being boiled required very little attention by the cook, such as stews or soups. Since the boiling was usually done over open fire, the pots during the Elizabethan Era had legs to stand in the fire or coals. The roasting was turned on spits by the fire. Since the spit had to be constantly turned, roasting was a very laborious procedure. The roasts used a dripping pan to catch all the excess from the roasting meats. The drippings were then used for other dishes or fuel for lanterns. Baking was usually done in an enclosed clay or brick oven that was outdoors. The interior of the oven was heated by hot coals and when the ideal temperature was reached, the coals were taken out. Then the oven was cleaned for coal ashes using a damp mop called a malkin. When the oven was sufficiently clean, the food was slid inside the oven on a pell, which is similar to the long wooden tools that are used in pizzerias today (Singman 135).
 * Baking
 * Boiling
 * Salting
 * Frying[[image:Elizabethan-Kitchen-(2).jpg align="right" caption="Cooking in the kitchen (Elizabethan Kitchen)"]]
 * Spit Roasting
 * Smoking

Bread
Bread was the main staple of the Elizabethan diet. Wheat was the preferred grain for making bread. The whiter bread was preferred, but compared to today's bread, Elizabethan "white" bread was as dark as today's whole-wheat bread. The price of bread was set by law so the size of the loaves shifted as the price of wheat fluctuated. Poorer Elizabethans could not afford wheat so they incorporated rye, barley or mixed grain breads of beans, peas and oats. The loaves were round and short because they were not baked in pans. Bread went stale after a few days but none of it was wasted. Stale bread could be used to make bread puddings and breadcrumbs to thicken soups and sauces (Elizabethan Food).

Habits
Utensils It is a ritual for a diner to wash his or her hands before every meal since most of the eating was done with hands. Forks were not eating utensils and were only used in the kitchen for cooking. Commoners usually ate off of wooden bowls and plates with wooden spoons. Also diners were expected to carry their own knives (Shakespearean Feast).

Etiquette (Singman 139-141)
 * Usually meal begins with hand washing then a prayer
 * Men draped napkins across one shoulder; women kept napkins on their laps
 * No lip smacking or gnawing on bones
 * Wipe mouths before drinking
 * After meals, there is usually another prayer and hand washing

Drinks
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The water during the Elizabethan times was not healthy enough to drink so the better choices were fermented drinks. One universal drink was mead which is a sweet alcoholic drink made of honey. Many people also drank ale, which was made of water, malted barley and herbs and spice. It did not contain hops so it was very different from today's ales. Beer also became popular because it was lighter, cheaper and had a longer shelf life than ale. Mostly the nobles drank wine, but a few commoners occasionally would drink wine, usually for a grand occasion. Wine was extremely expensive since English grapes could not be used for winemaking, so all wines had to be imported, mostly from France. Instead, other English fruits like apples, pears and raspberries were used to make ciders which were also common drinks. For Elizabethans, tobacco almost always went with drinking. There was even the phrase "drinking" tobacco smoke (<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Singman 136-138).

Food Preservation
There was no form of refrigeration or freezing back in the Elizabethan Era. Meats were preserved by salting and when time came to use the meats, it had an overwhelming salty taste even after running it through liquids multiple times. But as time passed people developed methods to disguise that taste. Spices and sauces became more incorporated in dishes to hide the saltiness and add more flavor to the dishes. Foods were also smoked and pickled to preserve them (Elizabethan Era Food and Drink).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Modern Interpretations of Elizabethan Recipes
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3 cups unbleached flour <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon active dry yeast <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup lukewarm water or beer <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon salt <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sift flour. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water or beer and stir in salt. Make a well in the flour and pour the yeast mixture into it. Mix and knead for 5 minutes. Let the dough rise in a warm place for an about hour. Prick the top of the loaf with a knife. Let it rise until it has doubled in volume. Preheat the oven to 350° F. After about 20 minutes, the bread should be golden brown and ready to remove from the oven (Singman 142).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bread **

3 carrots 2 parsnips 1 turnip 1 tablespoon of chives 2 radishes 1 tablespoon of scallions Chop carrots, parsnips and turnips into 1-inch cubes. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the chopped vegetables. Chop together the chives, radishes and scallions. When the boiling vegetables are tender, drain them and mix them with the chopped vegetables (Singman 145).
 * "Salad"**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9 inch unbaked pie pastry <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Half dry white wine <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Half teaspoon of Cinnamon <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Eighth teaspoon of Mace <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Quarter of a cup of Currants <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Quarter of a cup of Raisins <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Half a cup of pitted prunes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1 two and half pound Chicken cut into 12 -15 pieces <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Half a teaspoon of Salt <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1 Tablespoon of butter cut into small pieces <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1 Tablespoon of brown Sugar <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Line the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish with pie pastry and bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. In a large bowl mix wine and spices. Add dried fruits, stir and allow to stand for around 14 minutes. Toss chicken in wine and fruits and add salt. Place mixture in a pie shell and dot with butter. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350°. Uncover and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is done (Elizabethan Era Diet).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chicken Pie **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 egg yolk <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 pint of beer <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/4 cup of sugar <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">pinch of ground nutmeg, cloves and ginger <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon of butter <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add egg yolk to beer and warm up in a pan. Stir in sugar and the ground spices. Almost at a boil, remove pan from the stove and add butter (Singman 147).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spiced Beer **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Works Cited
<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">Elizabethan Brewery. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">"Elizabethan Era Diet." Sea of Mars. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. <http://www.seatofmars.com/elizabethandiet.htm>.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">"Elizabethan Era Food and Drink." The Lost Colony. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. <http://thelostcolony.org/education/Students/History/Elizabethan_Food.htm>.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">"Elizabethan Food." Elizabethan Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-food.htm>.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;"> Elizabethan Kitchen. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;"> Knotts. N.d. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">Shakespearean Feast. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. <http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/shak-feast.htm>.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; white-space: nowrap;">Singman, Jeffrey L. Daily Life in Elizabethan England. London: Greenwood Press, 1995. Print.