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Quenching your thirst in the Tudor era

Dionne Haynes • Jun 02, 2023

Ale, Cider & Perry

We are enjoying warm weather here in Britain, and one might be forgiven for seeking refreshment from a chilled glass or two of ale. But did you know that the average Tudor peasant consumed 8 pints of ale per day? Don’t let that fool you into thinking they were a bunch of rowdy drunks, though, because Tudor ale was weaker than most ale consumed in these modern times.

In the Tudor era, well water was unsuitable for human consumption, but it was safe to drink ale. The boiling of the water and the alcohol content killed harmful bacteria and created a drink that some Tudors described as tasting like “liquid bread”.

Elderly Tudors, pregnant women and even young children all quenched their thirsts with ale, but they drank a watered-down version known as “small ale”. Small ale had a lower alcohol content than the regular ale, and despite its bitter taste, it was a suitable drink for the more vulnerable Tudors and those preparing to start their working day.

In the years when harvests were plentiful, other drinks were common too, including cider made from apples and perry from fermented pears. 

Cheers! 🍻
by Dionne Haynes 27 Mar, 2024
In 1990, a gang of criminals pulled off the biggest art heist in history. Two men dressed as police officers walked into a museum in Boston at 1.24 a.m. and overpowered two night security guards. They duct-taped the guards to a pipe and a workbench in the museum's basement and announced, “Gentlemen, this is a robbery.” In the space of just one hour, they removed 13 valuable artworks that would be worth $500 million in today’s money. Despite the offer of a huge reward, the stolen paintings were never recovered. They included works by Rembrandt (see the photo of his missing painting "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee"), Vermeer, Degas and Manet, but for some reason, the robbers made no attempt to steal the most valuable work in the museum: a painting by Titian hanging in a gallery on the third floor of the building. The museum still has the empty frames hanging on the walls as an eery reminder of the unsolved crime. Thirty-four years later, the FBI investigation is ongoing. If you have any information leading to the recovery and return of the stolen paintings, there’s a $10 million reward on offer...
by Dionne Haynes 31 Jan, 2024
Shrove Tuesday will soon be here and many of us will enjoy a traditional pancake or two! Pancakes were popular in the Tudor era too, but they were a little different from the ones we enjoy now. Modern pancakes are made from a basic mixture of flour, eggs and milk whisked together, perhaps with a little oil and a pinch of salt. Whisking makes a smooth batter, which is then fried to create one pancake at a time. I prefer my pancakes served with a light sprinkling of sugar and a generous squeeze of lemon. You might like yours with fruit and ice cream or even a savoury filling. Tudor pancakes were made with thick cream instead of milk, 2 or 3 spoonfuls of ale, cinnamon and ginger. They were baked in a pan over a low heat, turned and baked again until the mixture was as dry as it could be without burning. Adding ale and using cream resulted from Shrovetide marking the end of the Seasonal celebrations that started with Christmas. Lent followed, therefore Shrove Tuesday was an important day for using up dairy products before fasting. 31 January 2024
by Dionne Haynes 22 Nov, 2023
These days, there is little seasonality for our food. Modern growing techniques and the ease of international transportation mean that we can purchase most ingredients every month of the year, such as asparagus in winter or almonds in spring. They usually don’t taste as good as something grown locally and freshly picked, but they are available. For the Tudors, the seasons dictated what was on their trenchers and plates. Tudor housewives spent much of the summer drying, salting, pickling and preserving foods, and filling their store cupboards in anticipation of the winter months when fresh produce would be in short supply. By spring, their palates would be tired of dried and salted foods and they would be eager to eat fresh food again. Poor autumn harvests would have left the Tudors desperate during the winter. Poor wheat yields left grain stored empty, pushing up the availability and price of flour and bread. Torrential downpours in August and September would have turned fruit to mushy rot on trees, leaving little to dry or preserve. Coastal folk might have considered themselves more fortunate - they were able to eat catch fish or forage on the beach for winkles, cockles, limpets and shrimps. But the average Tudor relied on the weather for a good harvest. Putting food on the table was no mean feat. The arrival of spring put colour on trenchers with delightful recipes such as tarts made with marigolds, primroses or cowslips. Or how about salmon with violets, and whiting with green herb sauce, followed by a delicious cheese tart? Summer was a time of abundance, especially for fruit. Strawberries and cherries were eaten fresh, while gooseberries and plums were cooked or used in tarts. Then, when autumn came around again, the food shifted once more from fresh to salted and preserved.
by Dionne Haynes 23 Oct, 2023
Unlike sausages, peas carried no social stigma in the Tudor era and graced the tables of rich and poor alike. Peas grew in fields and dried on the plants, and were used in thick stews such as pease pottage. Garden peas featured later in the Tudor period and had white flowers and large seeds, whereas the field peas had brightly coloured flowers and smaller pods. Physicians labelled peas as “gross, windy and hard to digest” but said they were kinder than beans to the stomachs of the affluent. Sausages graced the tables of medieval merchants or members of the better off lower classes, but English gentry declined to eat them until the early modern period (from about 1500 onwards). Sausages often featured in carnival-like celebrations but became symbols of sexual license, representing male sexuality and masculinity in general. Illustrations from the late 1500s show fat men brandishing sausages while a thin woman defends herself with a fish. The images capture the religious conflicts of the time between meat-eating Protestants and fasting Catholics at Lent. The first known use of the word “sausage” dates back to the middle of the 15th century to describe minced or ground meat mixed with spices and seasoning, formed into a patty or enclosed within a cylindrical skin. Grains or breadcrumbs might also be added as fillers. Sausages are popular all over the world, but did you know that an Akkadian cuneiform tablet from Mesopotamia records a version of a sausage from around 4,000 years ago?
by Dionne Haynes 22 Sept, 2023
No one knows what the Mayflower looked like! Mention the Mayflower today and most people will conjure an image of the Mayflower II docked in Plymouth Harbor, MA. But that ship is a “best guess” of how the original small cargo ship might have looked. In the 1950s, JWA Upham Ltd’s shipyard in Brixham, Devon, built the Mayflower II based on information supplied by American naval architect, William A. Baker. Baker undertook five years of research to determine the likely layout of the original ship. He used scant references made to the Mayflower in surviving Pilgrim documents (e.g. William Bradford’s writings and Edward Winslow’s journal known as Mourt’s Relation), images from paintings made in the seventeenth century, and written descriptions of other ships built at around the same time. Baker’s research formed the design plans for the magnificent Mayflower II . Despite the replica being a best educated guess, the Mayflower II has become a widely recognised depiction of the original Mayflower . The replica is also a popular tourist attraction at Plymouth Patuxet Museum in Massachusetts. It's time I booked a trip to the U.S.A. – I have a yearning to see that little ship!
by Dionne Haynes 09 Aug, 2023
“Thou shalt not wear silk!” Did you know that during the Tudor era, there were strict laws about what you could and could not wear? Your rank and social status dictated the standard of dress and quality of fabrics you might choose for your clothes. In 1509, a law was passed which stated that you may not wear silk if you’re below the rank of a knight’s son. This is something I have had to keep in mind whilst writing the sequel to Mawde of Roseland . It has been tempting, on occasions, to throw in the odd piece of silk, but fear not, I made it through without succumbing 😂. Breaching that so-called “Act against the wearing of Costly Apparel” attached a hefty punishment. Wearing silk unlawfully attracted 3 months’ imprisonment and a fine of £10 per day for each day of infringement. That might not sound a lot nowadays, but a Tudor tradesman took a whole year to earn that sum! Few lower ranking Tudors would have been able to afford the luxury of silk clothing, but for those who risked it, there is little evidence to suggest the rule was enforced. As a schoolgirl, I was chastised for wearing a skirt with too many pleats. I believe I had 3 when only one was permitted, or something like that. So, I can't help thinking that if I had been a Tudor who had saved enough pennies, I might have been tempted to sneak something luxurious into my wardrobe and push my luck with that rule...
by Dionne Haynes 03 Jul, 2023
Hubby and I visited Greenwich recently, and it gave me so much joy to stand on the site that was once Greenwich Palace. A large section of Mawde of Roseland takes place at this location. I won’t say why in case you haven’t read it yet – no spoilers here! Greenwich Palace was known as The Palace of Placentia, or pleasant place, because it was located away from the crowds and smells of London. It was easily accessible by boat, and was the site of many a party, banquet, and jousting tournament. King Henry VIII was born in Greenwich and later made it his primary palace. His daughters, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I, were also born here. And remember the story about Sir Walter Raleigh throwing his cloak over a puddle to stop Queen Elizabeth I getting her feet wet? That happened at Greenwich Palace too. After the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell tried and failed to sell the palace, so turned it into a biscuit factory instead. By the time of the Restoration, the buildings were in a poor state of repair and King Charles II gave the order to demolish the old palace. Fortunately, its image was captured in paintings (like the one above), so you can imagine how regal it would have looked with its red brick facade reflecting on the river. I loved writing Mawde of Roseland, and the old paintings were especially helpful when I was imagining what it was like for Mawde when she first set eyes on Greenwich Palace. Click here to learn more about the book 📖 (This is an affiliate link , which means I might earn a few extra pennies if you buy the book, but don't worry because there's no additional cost to you.)
by Dionne Haynes 28 Apr, 2023
Hubby and I recently visited Italy to celebrate a special Wedding Anniversary. We spent part of our holiday in Verona, where we saw this famous balcony with a literary connection. Verona is a beautiful city with much of its medieval past well-preserved in and around its historic centre. This balcony is at the Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet’s House. The house dates back to the early 14th century, and was restored in the early 20th century with a complete rebuild of the interior using architectural and decorative pieces from the medieval period. It also houses the bed used on set for Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet . The house, its interior and its tributes to Shakespeare and his famous play, are proving a popular tourist attraction with hundreds visiting daily to walk in Juliet’s footsteps onto the balcony. But, of course, this house is one grand delusion. Juliet didn’t live here, and she never stood on the balcony saying “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Juliet was a fictional character, and Shakespeare found inspiration for his play from a tale written in the early 16th century by Italian writer, soldier, monk and Bishop, Matteo Bandello. It’s unlikely Shakespeare ever walked the streets of Verona, but I am thrilled to have visited this “shrine” to his greatest known tragedy. For several moments, I stood on that balcony and imagined myself in Juliet’s shoes. Isn’t it wonderful how fiction can pull at our emotions and make us believe, even just for a moment, that the story might actually be true? 🥰
by Dionne Haynes 17 Feb, 2023
For some reason, many people think the Tudors were short in stature. This might be the consequence of seeing small doorways in historic buildings, or portraits of Tudors who were actually lacking a little height. But studies of skeletal remains suggest the average height of a Tudor was comparable to the average height of today. For example, the skeletons of 100 sailors found on the sunken Mary Rose showed an average height of 5’ 7” (170 cm) – that’s taller than the average British man at the start of the 20th century. The Tudor royals were especially blessed in the height department. King Henry VII was 5’ 9” and King Henry VIII was 6’ 2” (188 cm). Henry VIII’s grandfather, King Edward IV, was 6’ 4”! It wasn’t only the men who were lofty. Catherine of Aragon was 5’ 8” and Catherine Parr was 5’ 10”. Of course, there were shorter Tudors too, but those small doorways were built to minimise heat loss from rooms rather than give an indication of the average height of the era. There would have been a significant amount of stooping going on. The rather lovely “door within a door” photograph was taken at the 16th century townhouse of Plas Mawr in Conwy, Wales. Even I had to stoop to pass through that one, and I’m only 5’ 4” (162.5cm)! 17 February 2023
by Dionne Haynes 16 Jan, 2023
Recently, Hubby and I enjoyed a fun night out with friends. After dinner at a nearby pub, we enjoyed a few laughs over a game of BINGO! My grandmother loved playing Bingo, and I have many happy memories of taking her to one or two of the large Bingo centres that grace our towns and cities. Friday night’s Bingo was a little more rustic. It was at the local social club. You might think Bingo is a relatively modern game, but they actually played the first game of Bingo during the Tudor era. The 1530s saw the birth of the Italian game “Lo Giuco Lotto Italia”. A caller drew numbers from a sack and players tried to match them to numbers on their playing cards. It wasn’t until the late 1700s that the game spread to France, and in the 1800s, it reached the United Kingdom. In the early 1900s, the game of Lotto became popular in North America, but using the name Beano until someone accidentally called out “Bingo” and the new name stuck. The game that first entertained Italians almost 500 years ago has evolved into one of the most popular games in the world. It has moved into the digital arena as well as continuing in traditional Bingo halls, and it is estimated that 1.6 billion people play each year. A 75-ball version in Japan once had 500,000 players for a single game! Bingo!
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