Rich vs. Wealthy Foods in the Elizabethan Era In the Elizabethan Era, there was a big gap between the wealthy and the poor, even in the food they ate. There were differences in their beverages, the quality of their food and what their daily meals and diets were.
Upper and lower classes during this time ate very different foods. The website Elizabethan Food and Drink says, “Vegetables and fresh fruit were eaten by the poor - vegetables would have been included in some form of stew, soup or pottage. Food items which came from the ground were only considered fit for the poor.” This is saying that just as today, the rich and the poor eat different. In the Elizabethan Era, the poor got the food that was “unfit” for the wealthy. The poor actually were healthier because they ate all of the fruits and vegetables while the rich barely ate any. Also, a sign of wealth during this time was meat. Meat was a rarity and very expensive so you wouldn’t see lower class people eating meat a lot.
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Another website said, “The wealthy people ate manchet, a loaf made of wheat flour. In the country districts, a lot of rye and barley bread were eaten.” So even though there was the same basic meals, it was diverse. Like for bread, the wealthy people ate machet which is a loaf made of high quality flour, while the poorer ate bread made of the crops that they grew themselves such as rye and barley. Another example of this difference is silverware. The well-off people were able to use real bowls and dishes to eat out of. However, the needy more commonly ate out of wooden