Food in the Tudor Times

Food in the Tudor Times

• The Tudors era, period, life, age and times
• Interesting Facts and information about Food in the Tudor Times
• Tudor Food and Drink
• Foods from the New World introduced during Tudor Times
• Tudor Spice Trade

Food in the Tudor Times

Food in the Tudor Times
The food served during Tudor times to the Upper classes, the nobility and royalty, was often spicy, colorful and lavish. The food served to the upper classes in the Tudor times were an integral part of their leisure time. There were many feasts and banquets which were accompanied by music, minstrels, acrobats and jesters - food in the Tudor times played a major part in their entertainment process. Food in the Tudor times was influenced by French cuisine and from the Far East. Exciting Foods from the New World were also being introduced. There was certainly a variety of different food served during Tudor Times!

Foreign Influences on Food during the Tudor Times - The Normans
There were many foreign influences on English food during Tudor times. There was frequent movements between the courts of Europe and new ideas about food were introduced from these foreign travels.  Food during Tudor times also included foods that had been introduced by the Normans who had initially introduced both French and Scandinavian food. The tastes of the Norman nobility were far more sophisticated than the English of the era and their sophistication became integrated into English foods.

Foreign Influences on Food during the Tudor Times - The Crusades
The influence of the Crusades had seen a startling effect on Middle Ages Food. The elegance of the Far East, with its silks, tapestries, precious stones, perfumes, spices, pearls, and ivory, was so enchanting that an enthusiastic crusader called it "the vestibule of Paradise". A change in culture started to emerge in England. It became a status symbol to serve food with herbs and spices. As they were exported, these spices were expensive. The differences of foods consumed by the Upper and Lower Classes changed significantly. The poor could not afford the new range of spices. The spices, initially introduced during the times of the crusades, which were used in food during the Tudor times were as follows:

Foods from the New World introduced during Tudor Times
During Tudor times explorations to the New World brought a whole new range of foods to satisfy the Tudors taste for both sweet and spicy foods. Some of the food introduced to the Tudors from the New World were as follows:

The Tudor Spice Trade
The Spice Trade was extremely important throughout Tudor times. Oriental spices constituted the most profitable and dynamic element in European and English trade and this drive for profit through new spices ( as well as the quest for gold and silver) encouraged the explorations of Tudor and Elizabethan seamen such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. Until the discoveries  of the Tudor Explorers in the New World Italy played the most dominant role in the supply of spices to England from the Far East countries. The voyages of the Spanish and the Portuguese to the Americas ensured that they would play an important part in the spice trade from the New World. It was essential for the economy of England that they would also be included in the Spice Trade which was one of the main objectives for their voyages of exploration to the New World.

Drinks during the Tudor Times
Coffee and chocolate were introduced from the New World and tea was introduced by Jesuit priest who had travelled to the Far East to England. However, coffee, chocolate and tea were only used as medicines during the Tudor era.  The Tudors did not drink their beverages hot. The Tudors drinks consisted of Ale, Beers and wine. Milk was only drunk by the lower classes.

Food in the Tudor Times
Each section of this Tudors website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about Food in the Tudor Times. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Tudors!