Website design By BotEap.comAs a self-proclaimed ‘foodie’ with a thirst for historical knowledge, the evolution of our dining table has always fascinated me.

Website design By BotEap.comThroughout this blog series, I’ll be delving into the best and worst of our culinary past, looking for historic recipes and eating habits of yesteryear; from the packed banquet halls of Henry VIII to the famine of the French Revolution.

Website design By BotEap.comCome with me as I take you on an edible journey through time, exploring the customs and traditions of the time.

Website design By BotEap.comTudor period

Website design By BotEap.comWe are beginning our Time Series with the Tudor period; or specifically the reign of Henry VIII.

Website design By BotEap.com1509-1547

Website design By BotEap.comWe are all familiar with perhaps the most famous monarch in history. His reign saw England secede from Rome, the formation of Parliament, the foundations of our modern Royal Mail and, of course, his six wives.

Website design By BotEap.comBut what happened to the English palette in the 36 years that Henry VIII ruled?

Website design By BotEap.comWhen Henry succeeded his brother to the throne in 1509, he inherited a united country behind the monarchy, stable finances, and his brother’s wife.

Website design By BotEap.comFruit was a constant feature on a Tudor table, with options ranging from those that could be grown in England, such as apples, pears, cherries, plums, and strawberries, to those that were imported from Spain after the arrival of Queen Catherine. from Aragon.

Website design By BotEap.comThe pomegranate became the symbol of his house and was instrumental in the popularity of oranges at court. Records show that Henry, in particular, loved oranges; have them readily available to eat fresh and preserved like jam.

Website design By BotEap.comCardinal Wolsey cultivated orchards at Hampton Court for the King’s consumption.

Website design By BotEap.comEnglish food may not have appealed to the new Spanish queen, who would have been used to Mediterranean tastes and cuisine, heavily influenced by the Moorish community and their use of exotic spices and fresh vegetables.

Website design By BotEap.comIn my search for recipes from this period, I have come across this one from 15th century Andalusia; the autonomous community in southern Spain near Katherine’s native Granada.

Website design By BotEap.comRecipe for Thumlyya, a dish with garlic

Website design By BotEap.comAn Andalusian recipe from the 15th century

Website design By BotEap.comTaken from ‘How to Milk an Almond, Stuff an Egg, and Assemble a Turnip: A Thousand Years of Recipes’

Website design By BotEap.comby David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook

Website design By BotEap.comIngredients:

Website design By BotEap.com5 oz garlic 1 cup ginger

Website design By BotEap.com1 h ¼ t of cloves

Website design By BotEap.com6 tablespoons of oil of 15 saffron threads

Website design By BotEap.com½ teaspoon salt ½ cup whole almonds

Website design By BotEap.com½ teaspoon of pepper? c crushed almond

Website design By BotEap.com1 cup of cinnamon ¼ cup of murri

Website design By BotEap.com2 tablespoons of lavender -1 cup of flour – water

Website design By BotEap.com‘Take a chubby chicken and take out what’s inside, clean it and put it aside. Then take four uquias (ounces) of peeled garlic and mash them until they are like brains, and mix with what comes out of the interior of the chicken. Fry in enough oil to cover, until the smell of garlic comes out. Mix this with the chicken in a clean pot with salt, pepper, cinnamon, lavender, ginger, cloves, saffron, whole shelled almonds, both crushed and whole, and a bit of murri (there is no modern recipe for murri, which is similar to Chinese soy sauce). Seal the pot with the dough, place it in the oven and leave it until it is ready. Then take it out and open the pot, because its contents are on a clean plate and an aromatic smell will come out of it and perfume the area.’

Website design By BotEap.comAs Henry’s reign progressed, his well-documented affair with Anne Boleyn began. Anne spent much of her youth at the French court, first accompanying Henry’s 18-year-old sister Marguerite on her journey to France to marry King Louis XII.

Website design By BotEap.comHenry and Anne’s affair lasted for seven years before their infamous break with the Roman Catholic Church and their eventual marriage. His French influences would have played an important role in the changing tastes and customs of the court.

Website design By BotEap.comIn the 15th century, bread and cheese were a staple in French cuisine, meats and fruits were considered fit for royalty, and vegetables were considered a peasant fare.

Website design By BotEap.comPears stewed in wine were often eaten as a “finale” to a meal, which may have been adopted by the English after Anne Boleyn became queen.

Website design By BotEap.comA day in the life of Henry VIII’s stomach

Website design By BotEap.comHenry often started his day with pike, plaice, roach, butter and eggs and chose to eat with 30 of his courtiers around 10 a.m.

Website design By BotEap.comSo Henry would have had the choice of at least 13 freshly cooked dishes at every lunch and dinner, choosing from a wide variety of cakes, meats, porridges, jellies and fritters, all cooked by his personal chef, Pero Doux.

Website design By BotEap.comOne of the staples of Tudor cooking was spit-roasted meats. Pig, lamb, venison: they would be on the spit day after day, ready to serve the king and his court.

Website design By BotEap.comMore unusual meats were reserved for banquets and occasions such as swan, peacock, heron, and venison.

Website design By BotEap.comDespite his growing stomach, Henry and England adhered to the strict rule of fasting on Fridays and Saturdays and sometimes on Wednesdays, which prohibited eating meat and only allowed fish. During the Lenten period (March 2 – April 14) butter, eggs and dairy products were also prohibited.

Website design By BotEap.comTo disobey the rule of fasting was to risk a charge of heresy, however, fasting did not mean that Henry ate less than usual.

Website design By BotEap.comAny other day was considered a ‘meat day’. Below is an example of what Henry would have expected to see on sale.

Website design By BotEap.comDECLARATION OF THE PARTICULAR ORDINANCES OF RATES FOR ALLOWANCES

Website design By BotEap.comTO BE SERVED TO THE HIGHNESS OF THE KING, TO THE GRACE OF THE QUEEN, AND TO THE SIDES,

Website design By BotEap.comWITH THE HOME, AND THEREFORE.

Website design By BotEap.comTHE DIET FOR THE KING’S MAJESTY AND THE QUEEN’S GRACE, OF EQUAL FARE,

Website design By BotEap.comIN ALL TWO MESSES, AS FOLLOWS.

Website design By BotEap.comON A DAY OF MEAT

Website design By BotEap.comDINNER. SUPER.

Website design By BotEap.comCheat Bread and Manchett, 16 Cheat Bread and Manchett, 16

Website design By BotEap.comBeate and Ale, 6 Gal Beate and Ale, 6 Gal

Website design By BotEap.comwyne wyne

Website design By BotEap.comMeat for Stew 8 Meat for Stew 8

Website design By BotEap.comBeef Loins 8 Chickens at Crimary, Larkes

Website design By BotEap.comRammeners in Stew, or Cap 6 Sparrows or Lambe,

Website design By BotEap.comVenison in brewz or mult 4 stewed with 13 chynes

Website design By BotEap.comReed Deere 2 Lamb Pestles

Website design By BotEap.comLamb 6 Giggots of Lamb or Venison

Website design By BotEap.comCarps or Yong Veale in — -son, stopped with Cloves 6

Website design By BotEap.comArm’, forced 1 Capons 4

Website design By BotEap.comSwanne 1 Conyes 2

Website design By BotEap.comCapons 2 Phesant, Herne, Shove-

Website design By BotEap.comConyes 1 – Bacon 4

Website design By BotEap.comFryanders, baked carp 1 Roosters, plovers or seagulls 2

Website design By BotEap.comCustard with garnish 12 sweet Dowcetts or orange 10

Website design By BotEap.comor fritters 8 quinces or pipes 2

Website design By BotEap.comAlong with recognizable options, the Tudors enjoyed many delicacies that would raise an eyebrow or two today.

Website design By BotEap.comGrilled beaver tail would be served on most Fridays, as the Tudors classified the beaver as a fish. The whale and porpoise were boiled or roasted and were Catherine of Aragon’s favourites.

Website design By BotEap.comFrom fast to peasant

Website design By BotEap.comWhen the king and the people of the court consumed an immeasurable amount of calories, the poorer people of England had a much simpler menu.

Website design By BotEap.comMeat was in short supply for the everyday Tudor peasant, so fresh vegetables, bread and ales were the staples. The stew arises throughout history in many varieties, and the meatiest stew is even served to the King.

Website design By BotEap.comBasic vegetable and porridge porridge would have been a regular sight at the dinner table for those not at court. Similar to our stews today, the recipe is simple and easy to follow.

Website design By BotEap.comSoup

Website design By BotEap.comIngredients:

Website design By BotEap.com½ onion

Website design By BotEap.comVegetables (the ones you prefer: carrot, parsnip, cabbage, leek, etc.)

Website design By BotEap.com300 ml broth (or just warm water for the average farmer)

Website design By BotEap.comHerbs (such as parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, and sage, which were readily available)

Website design By BotEap.com1 teaspoon pepper

Website design By BotEap.com4 tablespoons oatmeal porridge

Website design By BotEap.combread (optional)

Website design By BotEap.commethod

Website design By BotEap.comPrepare the vegetables (peel them and cut them the thickness you want).

Website design By BotEap.comSoften the onions in a skillet before adding other vegetables.

Website design By BotEap.comCover with broth or warm water until they begin to soften.

Website design By BotEap.comAdd a good handful of herbs, salt and pepper.

Website design By BotEap.comRaise the heat and let cook.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen the water starts to boil add the oats. Cook for 4-5 minutes until everything is combined.

Website design By BotEap.comEat alone or with bread.

Website design By BotEap.comsix wives

Website design By BotEap.comWrapping up our Tudor journey, I’ll focus on perhaps the most famous element of Henry VIII’s reign: his wives.

Website design By BotEap.comEach wife has her own backstory and tragic life, whether they were divorced, beheaded, died, or survived. But what were her favorite things to eat from her?

Website design By BotEap.comCatherine of Aragon. Dec 1485 – Jan 1536 Divorced

Website design By BotEap.comIn addition to the native fruit from her Spanish roots, Katherine liked to eat boiled whale.

Website design By BotEap.comAnne Boleyn Jul 1501 – May 1536 beheaded

Website design By BotEap.comIt was reported that Anne had a fondness for certain fruits such as damson plums, plums, and strawberries. During one of her pregnancies, she had a ‘raging desire to eat apples’

Website design By BotEap.comJane Seymour 1509 – Died Oct 1537

Website design By BotEap.comHenry spared no expense to keep Jane happy. When she had a craving for quail eggs during her pregnancy, Henry had a box festooned with the delicacies sent to her from Calais.

Website design By BotEap.comAnne of Cleeves Sep 1515 – Jul 1557 Divorced

Website design By BotEap.comOne popular German treat that Anne may have enjoyed was ‘Gefuellte Semmeln’. A bread roll, filled with jam/marmalade, covered in sugar and spices and fried in egg yolks.

Website design By BotEap.comKatheryn Howard 1523 – Feb 1542 Beheaded

Website design By BotEap.comThe young queen may not have adapted well to the customs of the court. Described as childish and naive, Katheryn liked to snack on marchpane, little almond balls, a sugary snack similar to marzipan.

Website design By BotEap.comCatherine Parr Aug 1512 – Sep 1548 survived

Website design By BotEap.comA popular sweet at the time was ‘Maids of Honor’. A predecessor to modern cheesecake, made with cottage cheese, often found at court and possibly enjoyed by the queen.

Website design By BotEap.comLook out for my next trip to the dining room tables of days gone by!