Renaissance IS FEAR A FACTOR FOR YOU? IT’S ON

Renaissance Food and Drink What People Ate During Shakespeare’s Time

Bread Bread is a staple (biggest part of every meal) The bread of the lower classes is made with cheaper grains than wheat: barley and rye, Lower class bread had grit in it. The bread of the upper classes was made with a higher proportion of wheat, Stale bread was cut into squares and used for trenchers -- a surface on which to serve the other food and sauces.

Breakfast Not the most important meal of the day Usually a piece of bread in wine or ale, and maybe a little leftover cold meat pie

Main Meal of the Day was Lunch Large banquets were a sign of nobility Meat was also a sign of nobility or for special occasions only, so was fruit. Shellfish were considered a food for poor people (bottom feeder animals)

Cutlery During the Renaissance, cutlery was not widely used Cutlery was introduced around the time of Shakespeare’s death, but was only used in the most wealthy households Therefore, people ate with their hands

Nobles vs. Poor Nobles ate large amounts of food, eating was celebrated Had large meals, servants ate leftovers, then went to the poor waiting outside Poor ate a lot of stew.

Drinks Water was not safe (sewage and other contaminants) Mostly drank beer, ale, honey-mead, wine, almond milk and buttermilk

Foods we have that they did not have Vanilla Chocolate Potatoes Coffee Tea

Table Manners Can’t blow nose with fingers Can’t scratch anatomical part Must throw bones on the floor A burp at the end of the meal is considered polite

Are you ready for the Renaissance Fear Factor Dinner? 3 teams of 10 Rules: Different person must try each food Points: 10 points for a chew and swallow 8 points for chewing and swallowing part of it 6 points for swallowing without nose held 5 points for swallowing with holding nose 4 points for sticking it in your mouth 2 points for licking 0 points for a refusal

Winners Team with the most points at the end wins a prize IS FEAR A FACTOR FOR YOU??????

1 st Drink Buttermilk! (Because water was not clean)

Turnip! Potatoes have not really been discovered yet (new world crop)

Artichokes Actually eaten raw Usually Elizabethans thought raw foods gave them gas

Mystery #1??????

Liver Remember that the Elizabethan's didn’t waste anything “… and I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti…”

Salted and Pickled Herring A way of preserving meat Another way was to bury meat at least 3 feet underground with salt and spices

Meat Covered in Sugar For some reason, the Elizabethans were obsessed with sugar Expensive item because they had to import it from North America

Mystery #2

Escargot! England is surrounded by water

Figs Renaissance was obsessed with exotic food, especially Greek food (Renaissance was a re-birth of Greek and Roman culture)

Blue Cheese Accidentally discovered due to a lack of refrigeration Gorgonzola (the kind you are eating) was discovered in 879.

Mystery # 3

Horseradish Root Raw Horseradish root No refrigeration in Renaissance, so needed strong spices to cover up the taste of rotten meat Also, meat often boiled all day, so spices help make up for lack of taste

VENI, VIDI, VICI You came, You saw, You Conquered your RENAISSANCE FEAR FACTOR DINNER. The barf bags are to your right as you exit the classroom.

Mystery #4

Cow Tongue In the Renaissance meat was rare, so they didn’t waste any part of the Animal Very fatty and filling