In Tudor times

“Cookery has become an art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen.”

Robert Burton, English cleric and writer, (1577-1640)
'Anatomy of a Melancholy'

“When partridges are served to ladies only, or in parties where they are present, it is now customary to take off the heads....For gentlemen's dinners the heads may be left on or not at choice.”

Eliza Acton
‘Modern Cookery for Private Families’ (1845)

TUDOR ENGLAND

Tudor England was an agricultural society. Most of the population lived in small villages and made their living from farming. Having said that towns grew larger and more important. During the 16th century trade and industry grew rapidly and England became a more and more commercial country. Mining of coal, tin and lead flourished. So did the iron industry. During this period England became richer and richer.

However there were winners and losers in Tudor times. Upper class and middle class Tudors saw a big rise in their standard of living. As England grew more and more prosperous the homes of the well off became more and more comfortable. However the lowest section of society, the wage labourers, became worse off. In the 14th century a large part of the population died of plague. As a result there was a shortage of labour so wages went up. However in the 16th century the population recovered so real earnings fell.

In the 15th century the population of England may have been around 2 1/2 million. By 1525 it had risen to around 3 million and by 1600 it was about 4 million.

During the 16th century there was inflation, especially in the mid-century, and prices rose steeply. Wages rose too but less than prices so real earnings fell. They reached their lowest point in 1597. (The years 1594-97 were ones of famine. In Cumbria, the poorest and most isolated part of England, people starved to death).

TUDOR SOCIETY

Tudor society was divided into four broad groups. At the top were the nobility who owned huge amounts of land. Below them were the gentry and rich merchants. Gentlemen owned large amounts of land and they were usually educated and had a family coat of arms. Most important gentlemen never did any manual work, that was beneath their dignity. Below the gentry were yeomen and craftsmen. Yeomen owned their own land. They could be as wealthy as gentlemen but they worked alongside their men. Yeomen and craftsmen were often able to read and write. Below the yeomen were the tenant farmers who leased their land from the rich. There were also wage labourers. They were often illiterate and very poor.

In the 16th century about 50% of the population lived at subsistence level. In other words they had just enough food, clothes and shelter to survive. For them life was very hard.

However it was possible to move from one class to another. With hard work and luck a husbandman could become a yeoman. A yeoman could buy a coat of arms and become gentlemen. It was possible for an ambitious young man to rise in the world.

TUDOR FOOD

Rich Tudors ate vast amounts of meat. However they rarely ate vegetables. Rich people were not necessarily well fed because they ate too few vegetables. Poor people ate plenty of vegetables because they had no choice! Vegetables were cheap but meat was a luxury.

On certain days by law people had to eat fish instead of meat. At first this was for religious reasons but later in the 16th century it was to support the fishing industry. If you lived near the sea or a river you could eat fresh fish like herrings or mackerel. Otherwise you might have to rely on dried or salted fish.

Poor Tudors lived on a dreary diet. In the morning they had bread and cheese and onions. They only had one cooked meal a day. They mixed grain with water and added vegetables and (if they could afford it) strips of meat.

All classes ate bread but it varied in quality. Rich peoples bread was made from fine white flour. Poor people ate coarse bread of barley or rye.

In the 16th century many people thought fresh fruit was bad for you. They did eat fruit but usually after it was cooked and made into a tart or pie.

The Tudors were also fond of sweet foods (if they could afford them). However in the 16th century sugar was very expensive so most people used honey to sweeten their food.

In the 16th century new foods were introduced from the Americas. Turkeys were introduced into England about 1525. Potatoes were brought to England in the 1580s but at first few English people ate them. Tomatoes came to England from Mexico and apricots were introduced from Portugal.

Nobody drank water in Tudor times because it was too dirty. Young children drank milk. Everyone else drank ale or, if they were rich, wine. From the mid-16th century beer became common. The Tudors also drank cider and perry.

Rich people liked to show off their gold and silver plate. The middle classes would have dishes and bowls made of pewter. The poor made do with wooden plates and bowls. There were no forks in Tudor times. People ate with knives and their fingers or with spoons. Rich Tudors had silver or pewter spoons. The poor used wooden ones.

People in the 16th century made much of their own food. A farmers wife cured bacon and salted meat to preserve it. She baked bread and brewed beer. She also made pickles and conserves and preserved vegetables. Many prosperous farms kept bees for honey.