Food
Food and drink were a major part of life in Elizabethan times. People had three main meals per day. The people of this time ate a variety of different foods and had many creative ways of preparing them. The people also had distinct table manners.
And there was a big difference between the upper class and the lower class. Poor people may have had humble and unvaried diets, consisting largely of bread, fish, cheese and ale, but the rich of Elizabethan England ate well.
-Meats: lamb, beef, mutton, pork, bacon, veal, rabbit, peacock, swan, goose, blackbirds and pigeon.
-Fish: sea fish and freshwater fish
-Vegetables: turnips, parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks, garlic and radishes
-Fruits: apples, pears, plums, cherries and woodland strawberries.
As well as a good meal, the Tudors were fond of desserts. They enjoyed pastries, tarts, cakes, cream, and custard, and crystallized fruit and syrup. Elizabethan dinner usually consisted of several kinds of fish, half a dozen different kinds of game, venison, various salads, vegetables, sweet meats, and fruits.
Drink
In earlier times, water was the main beverage. However, as farmers became more important, other drinks came along also. Milk was known for building healthy bones and giving a refreshing taste after a dessert. Farmers got milk from cows and she-goats. Other sources of liquid were a part of stews and potages. Other beverages were created from a wine base. Another popular wine base drink was a caudle, a hot drink thickened with eggs and drunk at breakfast or at bedtime.
other Ex) stale ale, spirits, milk, buttermilk, whey. (Tea and coffee were unknown until well into the 1600s)
