WHAT TO EAT – Elizabethan Food

Rost Pig with a Pudding in his Belly
Take a fat Pig and truss his head backward loking over his back, then make such Pudding as you like best, and fill his belly with it, your Pudding must be stiff, then sew it up, and rost your Pig, when it is almost enough, wring upon it the Juice of a Limon, and when you are ready to take it up, wash it over with yolks of Eggs, and before they can dry, dredge it with grated bread mixed with a little Nutmeg and Ginger, let your Sauce be Vinegar, Butter and Sugar, and the yolks of hard Eggs minced.

Venison Pasty
Take a Peck of fine Flour, and three Pounds of fresh Butter, break your Butter into your Flour, and put in one Egg, and make it into a Past with so much cold cream as you think fit, but do not mould it too much, then roul it pretty thin and broad, almost square, then lay some Butter on the bottom, then season your Venison on the fleshy side with Pepper grosly beaten, and Salt mixed, then lay your Venison upon your butter with the seasoned side downward, and then cut the Venison over with your Knife quite cross the Pasty to let the Gravie come out the better in baking, then rub some seasoning in those Cuts, and do not lay any else because it will make it look ill-favoured and black, then put some paste rouled thin about the Meat to keep it in compass, and lay Butter on the top, then close it up and bake it very well, but you must trim it up with several Fancies made in the same Paste, and make also a Tunnel or Vent, and just when you are going to set it into the Oven, put in half a Pint of Clarret Wine, that will season your Venison finely, and make it shall not look or taste greasie, thus you may bake Mutton if you please.

Collar'd Beef
Take a good Flank of Beef, and lay it in Pump water and Salt, or rather Saltpeter, one day and one night, then take Pepper, Mace, Nutmegs, Ginger, and Cloves, with a little of the Herb called Tarragon, beat your Spice, shred your Tarragon, and mingle these with some Suet beaten small, and strew upon your Beef, and so rowl it up, and tie it hard, and bake it in a pot with Claret Wine and Butter, let the pot be covered close, and something in the pot to keep the Meat down in the Liquor that it may not scorch, set it into the Oven with Houshold bread, and when it is baked, take it out, and let it cool, then hang it up one night in the Chimney before you eat it, and so as long as you please. Serve it in with Bay Leaves, and eat it with Mustard and Sugar.

Baked Goose
Bone your Goose and parboil it, and season it with Pepper and Salt, and lay it into a deep Coffin with good store of Butter top and bottom, then bake it very well, and when it is baked, fill up the pie at the Vent-hole with melted Butter, and so serve it in with Mustard and Sugar and Bay-Leaves.

WHAT TO DRINK – Elizabethan Drink

Water was not clean and therefore most people drank wine and ale. The rich drank both and the poor just drank ale. Honey was used to make a sweet alcoholic drink called Mead which was drunk by all classes. Wine was generally imported although some fruit wines were produced in England. A form of cider referred to as 'Apple-Wine' was also produced. Ales were brewed with malt and water, while beer contained hops that held a bitter flavour. Other flavours were added to ales and beers such as bayberries, orris, or long pepper. Consumption of weak, low-alcohol drinks at this time has been estimated at around one gallon per person per day.

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