The Tudor Kitchen: What the Tudors Ate Drank

by Terry Breverton

Did you ever wonder what the Tudors ate and drank? What was Anne Boleyn's favourite tipple? Which pies did Henry VIII gorge on to go from a 32- to a 54-inch waist? The Tudor Cookbook provides a new history of the Tudor kitchen, and of both the sumptuous – and more everyday – recipes enjoyed by rich and poor, all taken from authentic contemporary sources. The kitchens of the Tudor palaces were equipped to feed a small army of courtiers, visiting dignitaries and various hangers-on of the aristocracy. Tudor court food purchases in just one year included no less than 8,200 sheep, 2,330 deer and 53 wild boar, plus countless birds such as swan (and cygnet), peacock, heron, capon, teal, gull and shoveler. Tudor feasting was legendary; Henry VIII even managed to impress the French at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 with a 12-foot marble-and-gold-leaf fountain dispensing claret and white wine into silver cups, free for all!

Genres: Tudor Period, History, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Reference

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2015

Reviews

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this trying to get an overview of Tudor food, which generally, this book offers. There are a lot of recipes, both modern versions and older, historically accurate versions. The author also attempts to give background and explanations for many dishes to put them in context.

But I do have a few complaints. First, some of the recipes are from much later, (including after 1800) while a lot of the earlier recipes don't have any translations for the archaic English. I can read some 1300s English, but there are a number of words that I don't know offhand. I'll have to go and look up all those words at a later time, so that's kind of a pain.

There was also a bit of repetition, with a recipe presented and then an almost exact version written under it from a much later date. I suppose that is okay to show how it remained popular, but I wasn't reading this for a history of English food throughout time, just the Tudor era.

I also wanted more of a section on drinks. That was the shortest section with the fewest recipes, when I know there are more drinks than that, and would've wanted more explanations and varities shown.

Overall, this was a decent presentation of food from the Tudor era, and it's interesting that the author tried to make some of them more accessible for the modern foodie, but I think there could have been a few alterations to make it easier and more accurate.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cant understand why someone gave this excellent book one star. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Great introduction to Tudor farming, growing, cooking and drinking with lots of recipes showing the truly varied diet of the Tudor age. For anyone who still thinks the Tudors existed on a diet of meat, and spent their feasts lobbing bones over their shoulders, this book should come as a happy surprise. For anyone interested in the everyday life of the Tudors, this is essential reading. Entertaining, informative and well-researched.

[Sandra Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book about an equally fascinating period of history. Filled with interesting facts and tidbits along with an amazing number of recipes, this is sure to inspire you to want to make a Tudor feast!

There is a section of photos in the center of the book of Tudor era drawings, painting, artifacts, etc. The recipes include where they were found and the year. For instance, Coffyn of Grene Apples (Green Apple Pie) appeared in The Proper Newe Booke of Cookrye, c. 1557! The recipes also include historical notes or extra information at the top which just makes the book more interesting.

How about making some Figgy Pudding this Christmas or traditional Cornish Pasties? If you feel really adventurous, you can always try the Boar's Head!

This is not just a book for cookbook enthusiasts! History buffs, homeschool moms and more will find much to interest them!

I received a copy of this book from Amberly Publishing through IPG for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Baby Snakes]

I'm not giving this any stars, since most of the redactions were plagiarized from Medievalcookery.com and other such sites.

If he had stopped at just presenting the old recipes, and had not taken the work of the people who devised modern recipes for the old, maybe I'd have some stars to give, but plagiarism should not be rewarded.