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.