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Elizabethan Food Research Paper

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In 1550-1600, the food that the rich ate was bad for them. In the early 16th century 50 guests at a feast held by the London guild consumed 36 chickens, one swan, four geese, and two rumps of beef, and that was just meat only the rich can afford all the meat. The rich, who could afford to buy sugar, were very fond of sugary desserts, so much so that their teeth turned black. In fact, having black teeth became such a status symbol that people would deliberately blacken their teeth so it looked like they were rich enough to buy sugar. Little was known about nutrition and the Elizabethan diet of the rich Nobles lacked Vitamin C, calcium and fibre. Because of the lack of fruits and vegetables, the wealthy didn't get any vitamins or crucial nutrients, instead they ate lots of sugar, which led to an assortment of health problems, including bad teeth, …show more content…

The diet of the peasants was dominated by grain, wheat, oats, barley, and millet. A typical peasant meal consisted of thin vegetable soup made from peas, beans, or cabbage, eaten with bread. Vegetables and fresh fruit were eaten by the poor, vegetables would have been included in some form of stew, soup or pottage. Food items which came from the ground we're only being considered fit for the poor. Peasant lived near a body of water of some sort, they may have caught fish to supplement his diet, and peasants ate mostly what they could grow.The lower classes were healthier than the upper class due to their consumption of vitamin C, fiber, and calcium. Meat was a rare luxury for the poorer classes. Their meals typically featured bread, eggs, and dairy products.“Their diet also included freshwater and sea fish, such as salmon, trout, eel, pike, and sturgeon, and shellfish such as crabs, lobsters, oysters, cockels and mussels. For the poor, bread was the staple food and it would be eaten with butter, cheese, eggs, and pottage. (“Elizabethan Food”). (“Food and Drink”) & (“Elizabethan

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