St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-29
FOOD IN THE OLDEN TIME.
What Was Eaten i'm England Two
Hundred Years Ago.

An Englishman's appetite has always
been famous. He was fond of good solid
eating. The farmers always had his
fiitehes of salt mutton on hand. in addi-
ton to salt beef and barreled behring's
from Yarmouth. In all good houses
there was an imposing array of salting
tubs. The art of stall-feeding was al
most unknown, and fresh meat, If pro-
durable in winter, was very lean. 1t
cost from half penny to penny per
pound which was equal to &c or &c of
our money. Fresh fish was the luxury
of the rich, obtained from their own
ponds and streams. Salt fish was a
common article of diet among the work
ing classes. Rye and barley bread were
auently 93 quarter, or as we should
say, SIS. The price of bread and beer
was regulated by local assiZe. Horse
bread was the name given to bread con-
veyed i'm packs; manchet was fine
wheaton loaf, and mayn bread, or de-
main, was the same as that used in the
sacrament. Cakes of oats and spice
were on all good tables.
Pies and pastries were made of all
sorts of things. Page invited Falstaff
and his friends to dinner of ''hot veni-
son PASTE" wound up by ''pippins and
cheese" The fee farm-rent of Nor
witch consisted of twenty-four herring
pasties of the new season fish, favored
with ginger, pepper, cloves, gallingalS
and other spices. On one occasion.
King James LIS servants complained
that four instead of five herrings were
in each paste. and that they were mot
packed i'm good and strong paste. as
no NO - Artipbnlpc
also baked in pies, with morrow. dates,
ginger and ralsins. In fact. the various
pasties still to be met with in Devon
and Cornwall are representative sur
vlvals'' of Eizabethan diet. The cooks
were chiefly French, but few of them
were Italians.
Very few vegetables were used, and
some were regularly imported and
sailed down. Cabbages and onions
were sent from Holland to Hull. The
Flenipgs commenced the first market
gardens. Lettuce was served as
separate dish, AMI eaten at supper be-
fore meat. Capers were usually eaten
boiled with Oil and vinegar. as salad.
Eschalots were used to smear the plate
before putting meat on it. Carrots had
been introduced by the FlemlngS.
Rhubarb. then called patience, came
ITOIu iOiilIld 1cfos nv NOhihiOi
people ate turnip leaves as salad, and
roasted the roots in wood ashes. Water
crosses were believed to restore the
bloom to young ladies' cheeks. In
fact, all vegetables we're regarded more
as medicines than as necessary articles
of food.
Flesh meals were more believed in
than anything else. They were eaten
with knife and napkin. The laud-
able use of forks as Ben Jonson has
it. did not commence until 1911, and was
rare for many years after: The custom
came from Italy, and the first forks
were preserved in glass cases as curiosi-
ties. A jeweled one was among the
New Years gifts to Queen Elizabeth;
Probably the absence of vegetables had
something to do with the immense po-
tatiOns of the time. 1ago said the En-
glIsh could beat all other nations, and
were ..most potent in p0tting." AS tea
did not come into England until 1910.
and coffee until 1862. beer or wine vas
taken at all meals.