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Food And Drink In The Elizabethan Era

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Step back in time and enjoy all of the foods and drinks that the Elizabethan era has to offer. The Elizabethan era was a time that had significant shifts in food and drink trends, as new ingredients and cooking techniques were introduced. From the simple meals of the peasants and the elaborate feasts of the nobility, there was a big shift in the way people ate everyday. The food and drink of the Elizabethan era were influenced by social class and the changing times.
First off, Peasants had very little money to spend on food and were having to make do with what they had. Therefore they had to resort to different measures to survive, including hunting for food and profit. Peasants had an imbalanced diet primarily of wild game and alcohol, with a lack of grains and vegetables. The effects of this limited nutrition affected the entire population as it shortened their lifespan due to malnutrition. This was in contrast to the nobility who had access to a more diverse range of food, including lots of homegrown fruits, grains, and meats, (British). …show more content…

Some of the main alcohol beverages available were beer, cider, and ale due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of production. Hops-infused beer was a preferred choice due to its higher alcohol content which allowed for extended storage and enhanced taste over time. Ale on the other hand was an option for children, since its low alcohol content did not affect them. When wanting a stronger kick people could add up to four times the usual alcohol content to their ale or beer. Peasants and nobility preferred alcoholic beverages since the water was often contaminated and had a bad taste. Aside from beer, the wealthy would import wines from Europe or France, because they are known for their humid climate and skilled wine producers,

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You ate apples in the fall and leafy greens in the spring. In most places people ate small portions of meat, though not at every meal” (Pollan 86). Back then, people had a concrete idea of what it was that they were eating. They knew what was good to eat and what to avoid. And they knew where the food was actually coming from, so that wasn’t ever a mystery, as they were the ones to get the food for themselves.

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The Elizabethan Era had many rules and laws, so many that sometimes they were hard to keep track of. The capital offenses included robbery, larceny/theft, rape, and arson (Harrison). The more frequently committed crimes included theft, begging, cutpurses, adultery, debtors, poaching, forgery, fraud, and dice-cogging (Elizabethan Crime). In a desperate effort to control how the less fortunate and homeless behaved, Parliament passed the Poor Laws, which made it illegal to beg for food and money (Harrison). These laws went so far as to make it illegal to live on the streets (Crime and Punishment).

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Food today varies in multiple ways. We can choose from the seasonings, to the style in which the meal is prepared. We have a vast variety of food and drinks to choose from depending on what we crave. How did this contrast during the Elizabethan era? As some would argue it is completely different because of the time periods, it does not contrast in much prospect.

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