This is an excerpt from the book ‘Food for the Traveler, What to Eat and Why’ by Dora C. C. L. Roper, D.O., published in 1916. This is part of a series of such excerpts from old books made available by Project Gutenberg. The full text of the ebook is available with us. Please email editor@chefatlarge.in if you would like a copy.

Ed: It is interesting to see how we’ve come full circle after nearly 100 years.

INTRODUCTION

These pages are dedicated to those who are seeking light on the question of rational living and to all who are suffering from the effects of wrong living. Thought along this line expresses growth and progress, and with it comes knowledge. Common sense and judgment, following a natural instinct, will go a long way toward attaining better health. But those who, through the constant use of cooked, or highly spiced and fermented food, have lost their natural instincts and intuitions, will find the study of the science of dietetical chemistry of inestimable value toward a better understanding of natural laws, and be enabled to make the selections and combinations of foods more suitable to their temperament.

Before the question as to meat eating and vegetarianism can be solved, we must consider the first principle of nature, which is the law of self preservation. Thereafter we may be able to think and strive to save the lives of animals, now cruelly sacrificed largely for the sense gratification of man. The artificial preparation of food is a fine art, and no doubt has helped much toward the development of our central nervous system.

The ordinary mixed diet with the addition of meat two or three times per week is the safest method for most people who are compelled to work eight, ten, or twelve hours out of every twenty-four and have to deprive themselves of the proper amount of fresh air, sunshine and physical exercise, which brings all the muscles and organs of the body into proper action.

Inharmony, disease, and misfortune are largely caused by living a life contrary to the laws of nature.

The fulfillment of high ideals must be accompanied by common sense and judgment, so it becomes an evolution instead of revolution. The evolving of man from the stage of a jelly fish to a being possessed of a bony framework in an upright position by the eating of animals has developed a higher self. After having reached this stage of evolution the nature of some people has become so highly sensitized that meat, as a food, becomes repugnant to them. What they need is a stepping stone. The very food which has produced this state of over refinement or destruction must be used for construction and minimized by degrees.

In examining the claims of the disciples of vegetarianism it is well to consider those nations whose constitution and customs of work and education resemble our own. And in doing so we find that while nearly all European nations, as well as many of the Orient, practice moderation in meat eating, still they are for the most part only “near vegetarians,” and therefore should not be used as examples in an argument for vegetarianism.

It is possible for normal individuals under fairly normal conditions of life to nourish perfectly their bodies on a vegetarian diet, provided they are willing to live mainly on sun-kissed foods instead of on a mass of sloppily-cooked, devitalized, starchy vegetables, and soft nitrogenous foods that burden the digestive organs and produce obesity and slow consumption.

I hope that the menus on the following pages will be a help to all who seek simplicity from a standpoint of health as well as economy.

Note: For preparation of foods, consult Scientific Feeding.

Some people think that we become like the food we eat. This is true when the vibrations of what we eat are stronger than the vibrations in our bodies. All food consumed has a vibration of its own and unless the vital force within can
change the rate of vibration of the food eaten and tune it to the vibration of the body itself, one cannot become
nourished, or in other words “he becomes like the food he eats.” There is but one force or energy in the body, which is
life or “spirit.” Under normal conditions this force has in itself all the power to harmonize with the vibrations of the
foods taken into the body. Provided there is a demand for food in the form of true hunger.

Natural diet, deep rhythmic breathing with corresponding exercises awaken latent talents within us and rapid mental
and spiritual unfoldment takes place. Inharmony, disease and pain are caused by living a life contrary to the laws of God and Nature.

HOW TO BECOME A VEGETARIAN

Adopting a vegetarian diet should be done with great care, and not in a hurry, especially when the person is not in perfect health.

The best time to begin is the Spring. People who have lived on excessive meat should cut it down to two and three times per week, substituting cured meat and fish part of the time.

It may take months, or even years to educate the cells of the stomach to act upon nuts, legumes, and other heavy protein foods, so as to be properly nourished. An individual with great adaptability may make this change without much discomfort, but many people who desire to leave off meat, do so because they are already sick from wrong eating. If they feel benefited by the change for a while it is generally because their system is eliminating the toxins which are the result of excessive meat eating. After this has taken place, the body requires food, properly combined and proportioned, or else nerve starvation and obesity are the result.

To those who for various reasons desire to adopt a vegetarian diet I would say, do not substitute bread and vegetables for meat. Do not spend your energy making new and complex dishes as advocated in fashionable vegetarian cook books. Compounds containing several soft proteins such as beans, nuts, eggs and cream, besides starches, are a burden to the liver and alimentary canal and lay the foundation for new diseases.

If cooked foods are required, study carefully the preparation of nutritious soups, well boiled cereals, salads, and add as many raw foods as possible. Exercise more in the open air, live and work in sunny well ventilated rooms, retire early and live as close to nature as you can. I hope that the following pages may serve as a stepping stone for all who desire to eat less meat, as well as for those who wish to become vegetarians.

In adopting a raw food diet, or in reducing heat-giving elements, such as artificial sugars and hot drinks, it is important to apply more external heat to the body for a while, or else have the morning meal served in a sunny room. Plenty of outdoor exercise is necessary to properly utilize a vegetarian diet.

FOOD REQUIREMENTS

It is important that the diet should contain the proper amount of protein, starches and fats, suitable to the individual needs. Age, weight, height, occupation, season and climate must all be considered. Numerous and careful researches regarding food requirements made during the last fifty years have led to the realization that the majority of civilized men and women consume from two to three times the amount of food necessary.

FOOD FOR THE AGED

Many people at the ages of sixty and seventy still lead an active life, while others retire from activity at forty-five or fifty. Therefore, the food should conform to the person’s mental and physical requirements. If the teeth are poor and the digestive powers weak, the food should be light, consisting mainly of well cooked cereals, baked potatoes, rice, cooked greens, a small amount of meat, raw fruits and raw greens in combination with fatty foods, as salads, milk and buttermilk, toasted breads and soups.

The total fuel requirement depends upon whether the individual leads a quiet or active existence. For a person who lives mainly indoors, and makes little use of the muscles of the arms, shoulders and trunk, 1000 to 1200 calories is sufficient for twenty-four hours. If more food is eaten than the body requires, the excess will manifest itself by the development of chronic ailments and obesity, or feeble-mindedness.

The morning and evening meals should consist of fluid and semi-fluid foods, or of toasted breads and salads. Meats, eggs (except the yolks), cheese, beans, peas and nuts should be eaten only during the middle of the day in small quantities. One can cut down his amount of food greatly by thoroughly chewing each morsel. The demand for protein at this period is small, while the amount of fat should be increased.

WHAT SHALL WE DRINK WITH OUR MEALS?

This question is often asked. It depends entirely on the quality and combination of food which is eaten.

A diet consisting of a variety of solids and vegetables with excessive fluids gives the stomach nothing to do; the contents pass at once into the intestines. Such mixtures are ingested instead of being digested; they cannot be fully utilized because stimulation upon the drainage of the body is lacking.

If dry foods are eaten, such as sandwiches, rice, macaroni, potatoes or dry cereals, without the addition of fruits, vegetables or soups, a small amount of liquid should be taken. Such simple foods do not form a perfect meal, therefore milk or broths are preferable to water. Water is best taken from five to fifteen minutes before the meal or from one to two hours after meals.

Note: These pages are not a perfected plan of right eating to be slavishly followed. Each man is a law unto himself, and
with a little self-study and practical application this book may be worth its weight in gold to the true student of natural laws.

At Aromas of China, you start with a welcome drink (Beer or soft drinks) and a soup from the tureen on the buffet table. The kimchi, starters and sauces are placed on the table to nibble on, till you’re ready to eat. Great chicken and lamb starters satiate you till you decide to hit the buffet table for main courses. Mumbai people being predominantly fish and sea food eaters, one finds the maximum crowd around these dishes. One can’t blame them – where on earth can one get fish, crabs, lobsters and prawns on one buffet table at the price of Rupees 599 at an all inclusive, all you can eat buffet? No wonder it’s crowded! The poor chicken and lamb dishes lie forlorn as the rest of the buffet is rapidly eroded. The standard fare of accompaniments (fried rice, noodles, vegetarian dishes (equally good) were there, but I didn’t quite venture there as I’m totally carnivorous.

However, of late, after a few more visits I find the taste of the buffet to be the same and repetitive. The same sauce is used for all the sea foods and then the taste starts getting pretty much the same. The dim sum were excellent and the lamb and chicken ones were good with different flavors, but apart from the seafood, the icing on the cake was the dessert section. No pun intended here! The chocolate fountain and the various mousses and pastry will make up for anyone’s sweet craving.

Highly recommended for a couple of times, they have an extremely helpful and attentive staff which makes the dining experience quite good. The valet parking is a boon in this heat and the location is wonderful and uncluttered. They could however, do with a little more space inside – as diners keep bumping into each other at the buffet. All in all – worth a visit. Go for their Sunday lunch buffet and stuff yourselves with the crabs, prawns and lobsters! Nirvana.

- Sanjay Kashyap

Meal for Two: Rs 800 – 1200| Credit Cards: V, MC | Alcohol: YES | Takeaway: YES | Home Delivery: NO

The contents of this article are solely the author’s views and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Chef at Large.

There are some restaurants that you expect great things of from the moment you walk in. The slick decor, huge wine storage, and soft rugs underfoot lull you into a sense of snug security. You just know the food is going to be awesome and the mixes outstanding. The grand, sweeping staircase leading up to the cozy seating beside the bar ups your expectations till you’re poised to leap off the edge of reality into the soothing cradle of professional hospitality.

In my case the euphoria lasted all the way till the first bite.

 

Our first course was their House Made Anchovy ‘Ceasar’, which I assumed was a ‘Caesar’; however, it must have been a ‘Ceasar’, because it definitely wasn’t a ‘Caesar’. The lack of croutons, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce and nearly every ingredient that identifies a Caesar Salad definitely made it a ‘Ceasar’. What it did have were lettuce, iceberg lettuce, olives, and bell peppers dressed with mayonnaise and splattered with a teaspoon of highly salted anchovy paste. I suggest ceasing the Ceasar.

Lobster Tail, Bay Catch with Lemon Garlic Butter was my second course. The lobster was served with snow peas, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and a portion of rice with kidney beans. I failed to detect flavor in the rice or on the lobster, while the lobster itself was overcooked. We also tried their Cajun Spiced Char Grilled River Sole with Garlic Buerre Blanc. The Sole was served on a bed of brunoised vegetables with potato wedges and sauteed asparagus. The buerre blanc, white butter by any other name, was missing. The fish was well-grilled, though the flavors were indiscernible. The asparagus was overcooked and badly trimmed, which left us chewing the cud. Baby Spinach with Caramelised Leeks was our side dish. I really couldn’t comment on the age of the spinach as it was nearly a puree , but I did notice that the leeks were caramelized with loads of sugar, which made it sweeter than our dessert! We were also served some crusty bread with pats of butter, which I would have liked, had the bread been of recent vintage and the butter not frozen.

Dessert was Pineapple Pine Nuts – flavored mousse on ginger and orange sauce served with a crisp looking biscuit. The mousse didn’t appear to have any sugar or pineapple in it and the biscuit was quite pliable.

I suggest postponing your visit until Terroir closes the gap between expectations and delivery.
—
Meal for Two: Rs 2500| Credit Cards: V, MC | Alcohol: YES | Takeaway: NO | Home Delivery: NO

Not so at Kitchen Mantra. The people at Kitchen Mantra sound educated, well spoken, polite and eager to make sure you have a great time with their food. The first time I called, I recall being bowled over by a person who wanted to know if there were kids in the house (reduced spices), how many people were rice eaters and so on.

Unfortunately, Kitchen Mantra’s hospitality doesn’t extend beyond a voice on the phone. The people at Kitchen Mantra have built a good looking website, a very classy looking menu and so on. The common factor is that all the focus at Kitchen Mantra seems to be on the outside – looks. The website has a great front page and little or no content inside. As you’ll see, it’s the same with the menu.

We’ve ordered from Kitchen Mantra a total of 3 times – each time their food has been average to horrendous. We’ve tried mutton curries, dals, vegetables, rotis, and butter chicken from Kitchen Mantra. I recall exploring their menu during my second order, when we ordered 7 – 8 different dishes and an equal number of breads. All, without exception, were average or below. Mostly below average is what you’ll get everytime at Kitchen Mantra. Things don’t stop there there unfortunately. Deliveries from Kitchen Mantra are always late, for which you’ll get a new excuse everytime – in a polished and genuinely apologetic manner, which doesn’t pass muster due to the number of times it is repeated. To make matters worse, Kitchen Mantra doesn’t believe in setting things right then and there. Instead of appeasing their customers and in all probability retaining them, the staff at Kitchen Mantra ‘promise to make it up on the next order’, and staunchly refuse to throw in any discounts or freebies. Methinks that’s not the right way to convert or keep customers – who knows if that customer will ever order again?

To conclude, if a polished voice matters to you more than the food, Kitchen Mantra is your number 1 choice. If however, the quality of food and on-time deliveries matter more than a voice on the phone, avoid Kitchen Mantra by a long mile and instead, opt for one of the many other joints that dot the vicinity.

- Sid

Meal for Two: 450 | Credit Cards: NO | Alcohol: NO | Takeaway: YES | Home Delivery: YES

Surprisingly simple to make, these wraps tasted great, looked good and Cherie loved them!

Make thin, large wraps with beaten eggs. Set aside. Heat sesame oil, crackle mustard, fry turmeric powder, onions, chopped ham, curry leaves and ginger, then throw in some mashed potatoes, mix well, taste, season. Stuff the egg wraps with the potato and ham mixture. Cut into 2 inch segments and arrange vertically.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chili oil, mint and a dab of tomato ketchup.  Serve.

Not only did Cherie polish off her portion, she even asked for more!

- Sid

Tip: If you want the wraps stiffer, smoother and easier to handle, throw a little white flour and milk into the beaten eggs. Not so much as to make pancakes (they’ll break on rolling) but just enough to smoothen the mixture and slightly stiffen the cooked wrap, which will make it easier to work with.

Ed: Piyush is getting married in December. This article is quite well timed isn’t it?

Food is probably one of the most exciting things in bachelorhood (I said ‘one of the’) - you move out of the realms of delicious mom food and venture out to the vibrant cuisines of the world. While you still love the occasional dhaba outings, you crave home food flavor. I’ve lived and traveled in many countries and after having the salads, roasted meats and other delectable offerings, I still crave the simple ginger-garlic cooked veggies. Also, while you have plenty of options in the West and in many parts of Asia, options in India are fairly restricted what with most healthy / different food being either expensive or hard to obtain.

Things don’t stop here. If you are any of the following; healthy eater, busy at work, live in an expensive area or don’t have room mates, then food is more than a challenge – God help you.  Ah, and this is where my story begins.

I love food, have balanced, healthy eating habits, am super busy with work and live in Hauz Khas, New Delhi.  I moved to Delhi about 7 months ago, after living away from home for 3 years. At that point I decided to set things in order – healthier, cheaper and more efficient cooking would become priority. That’s what this article is about!

One of the things we will start with is making a Productivity Plan. Okay, don’t get scared – I am not going to take the fun away from cooking. Basically, I’m talking about an approach to better manage your cooking. Here are some pointers to get started:

1. Grocery shopping: I like to buy stuff from the new age grocery stores that have come up. I have realized that I waste more food than I cook, so I stick to buying the minimum amount possible. I also like to pick up healthy cereals.  You can pick up Post or Kraft which are very good options. Cereals can come very handy when you want a quick healthy meal, even in the evening or late at night.

2. Cooking: I divide basic meals into 3 categories -

a. The home food craving busters: There is a basic method for most home cooked dishes. You start with ginger, garlic and chopped onions in oil, once brown put some tomato puree. Everything else after this is just a variation. After adding spices, you can add meat, paneer (cottage cheese), mushrooms, gobhi (cauliflower) or anything else you want. You can occasionally vary this routine with the addition of dairy products – cream or small a portion of milk (on days when you’re feeling healthy), dried or chopped coriander, minced dry fruit. I like to mix and match chicken masala, garam masala and sometime tandoori chicken masala.

b. Exotic food made easy + healthy: My other favorites apart from Indian food are Italian and Chinese. To make these healthy I carefully monitor the amount of oil and replace anything starchy with their whole wheat variations. There are many pre-made sauces available – Italian Ragu has plenty of options, in Chinese food Ching’s sauces are a big hit. You’ll find these at INA market, Le Marche, Defense Colony Market or any other fancy grocery shop. My favorite are Peanut sauce and Schezuan sauce. The number of dishes you can make with these are incredible.

c. Quick Fixes: This group is critical for when you’re dead tired and just want to quickly make a healthy snack. Here’s the list of things to keep in stock – Eggs, Cereals, Milk, Olives in brine, veggies for salads, your choice of salad dressings, frozen meat, brown bread, Muesli and Oats among others. Experiment with your omelets, you’ll love your breakfast. There are plenty of good meat options available at places like Green Chick Chop and Republic of Chicken. One can find these stores almost everywhere. Making salads, omlettes, cereals/oats and meat sandwiches becomes quite simple.

I know I haven’t shared many recipes, but the idea of this article was to get single busy foodies to get started on cooking – not everyone is as experienced as Sid.

The contents of this article are solely the author’s views and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Chef at Large.

At this time of year Keats’ poem always makes me want to search the hedgerows for nature’s bounty – free food. Although I live in a modern city I still have easy access to countryside, and so I wandered the lanes with a basket over my arm, a long walking stick in hand. Just two minutes away from home I came upon a small avenue of Blackthorn, branches laden with Sloes. The thorns are vicious so I harvested with care; the walking stick was useful for bringing high branches closer to hand. Back at home, I washed and dried the berries, slit their skins and put them in a wide-mouthed glass jar together with some sugar and a bottle of gin. Sealed with a tight lid, shaken every day for three weeks then stored in a cool dark place for three months, this will yield a delicious liqueur to be enjoyed with friends in the festive season.

A further foray yielded Elderberries. A basketful of these beauties was washed and stripped from the stalks then made into ruby red jelly with the addition of water, sugar, and lemon juice. Not only delicious on toast, scones, ice cream and muesli, it can be taken in hot water as a soothing cough syrup. Wine is also made from Elderberries but that is not something that I have ever attempted.

My next walk brought Crab Apples, gorgeous red and yellow fruits that gave me a jelly to be eaten with meats. So I have a store cupboard full of things from nature, which will remind me of summer.

- Toni

Nizam’s Kathi Kabab is frequented by those wanting to catch a quick bite, and foreigners. By the way, this branch of Nizam’s has nothing to do with the famous original Nizam’s of Calcutta (now Kolkata). This is an independently run establishment, with a few other outlets in parts of NCR.

Much like an English pub, Nizam’s Kathi Kabab looks serene from the outside and  has a self-service module. You go to the counter, pay for what you want and are given a slip, which you exchange at the food delivery counter for your order. There is a waiting time of about 5-10 minutes, depending on the number of customers present. The menu is mostly Kebab Rolls, with a vast variety of fillings ranging from Potato Masala, Paneer and Mushroom to variants of mutton and chicken, with or without eggs. The portions of meat can be single or double, as preferred. They also have a selection of curries and other tandoori fare, which are mostly non-vegetarian.

 

The decor of the place is fairly run-of-the-mill and remniscent of most fast food outlets. The layout includes chairs and tables for about 25 people and an area where about 10 people eat, standing up. Posters of Hindi movies adorn the roof. When inquired, we were told that the owner perhaps saw it somewhere and decided to do the same to his restaurant.

The word ‘Kebab” or “Kabab” has a Persian origin. Kathi kebabs are commonly referred to as pieces of mutton or chicken, marinated with spices, grilled in a tandoor, and stuffed inside a roti (unleavened bread). Actually, the roti does not form a part of the standard Kathi Kebab. The name comes from the wooden skewers (called Kathi) used to grill the meat. It is prepared with a mix of spices, and cooked over red-hot coal in a tandoor (a bell-shaped earthen pot). The pieces of meat are slowly cooked by the heat of burning coal, with the fire not in direct contact with the meat. The juices remain inside the meat, adding flavor and giving it a succulent and tender bite. Akin to its big brother, Tandoori Chicken, Kathi Kebabs have traveled the world over, and have become as well known as the former.

We ordered a Kali Mirch Chicken Tikka Roll (Rs 130), a Paneer Egg Roll (Rs 110), a portion of Mumtazi Gosht Korma (Rs 170) and a portion of Bombaia Keema Pao (Rs 110). It took the standard 10 minutes for our order to arrive. The Kali Mirch Chicken Roll was good, the chicken succulent and the spices just right. The rolls at Nizam’s Kathi Kabab are served with green mint chutney and a spicy onion salad. The Paneer Egg Roll was good too, overflowing with mildly spiced Paneer (Cottage Cheese). One good thing about their rolls is the large quantity of the filling, and the consistent taste down to the last bite. The Mumtazi Gosht Korma however was a letdown. Apart from not looking very appealing, it was overspiced and I wouldn’t order it again. The Bombaia Keema Pao was served with two Paos (soft buns made with flour) and was well cooked. BTW, the rolls are a meal in themselves, so you wouldn’t need to eat anything else after you’ve downed a couple.

Recommended for a quick bite, especially the rolls.

-Amit

Meal for Two: 350 | Credit Cards: NO | Alcohol: NO | Takeaway: YES | Home Delivery: YES

I remember the first time I visited The Big Chill.  It was 2001, and I had finished writing my final exams at LSR college.  My colleagues and I were heading off in our separate directions and a friend and I decided to say goodbye to each other at a new place that had opened in East of Kailash, which reputedly served home made ice cream.  I ordered the Belgian chocolate, she had vanilla and I have still not forgotten the first bite.  It was for the first time I tasted not just delicious creamy ice cream (as opposed to the usual sugary frozen thing sold in shops) but also rich cocoa (as opposed to the sugary candy with a chocolaty taste available in shops).

Following LSR, I went off to North Campus to study law and forgot all about The Big Chill.  After graduating and starting work, The Big Chill again became the place for meeting friends, a casual lunch, a reasonably priced good coffee, and excellent deserts.  The décor was stylish, the waiters and waitresses efficient and friendly, and the food was good.  Importantly, it didn’t leave you broke.

That was then.

I went back to The Big Chill last night.  The initial plan was to go to The Living Room in Hauz Khas, but Parvati had a bad cold and was in the mood for “comfort food.”  We decided to go to The Big Chill located in Khan Market’s middle lane.  It was crowded, but the waiter found a table for the three of us quickly enough.  I ordered the Tomato and Basil soup with Penne and Bacon to follow, and Fatima ordered the Chicken and Mushroom soup.  Parvati ordered the Spaghetti with Prawns.  The soup arrived first.  The tomato soup was thick, with no taste of basil at all, as at least 3 cloves of garlic had been grated into the soup overpowering the taste of everything apart from the tomato.  Fatima’s chicken soup was clear with less garlic and had a pleasant tangy twist. The main course was a major disappointment.  The bacon was not crispy and mixed into the penne along with the bacon fat.  The bacon fat contributed to the oily-ness of the dish, which really should have been much less (Perhaps it could have been made only in the fat of the bacon without requiring extra oil – that is how Parvati fries eggs when bacon is being cooked at home).  Again, the dish was overpowered by the taste of garlic.  Parvati’s spaghetti was too spicy, the sauce was quite thick and garlic was the dominating factor.

The good news is that the desert remains excellent.  We shared a Banoffee Pie between the three of us, which met our expectations.  The service remains good, the décor is still nice, the deserts are yummy, but the food has definitely gone down hill.

The Big Chill seems to be surviving on its reputation.  A place for nostalgic trips; not good food.

Meal for Two: 1200 | Credit Cards: YES | Alcohol: NO | Takeaway: YES | Home Delivery: NO

- Gayatri Sharma

One article obviously cannot do justice to such a subject. The focus of this article therefore is to summarise English food from the 1400’s to the 1600’s.

Medieval Era

There has always been a stark difference between the sources of nutrition available to the rich and the poor. Food such as fresh meat, fruit and vegetables were produced by the estates of the rich. Despite their availability, fresh fruits andvegetables were rarely eaten as is, due to a belief that they caused disease. This is highlighted in The Boke of Kervynge (The Book of Carving) written in 1508 – “Beware of green sallettes and rawe fruytes for they wyll make your soverayne seke.“. Literally translated, this means, “Beware of green salads and raw fruits as they will make your sovereign (master) sick.”. As a result, fruits and vegetables were always cooked before consumption.

Some people used plates called trenches. These were thick, large, slightly hollowed slices of bread, upon which food was piled and eaten. The bread ‘plate’ was later eaten too. Spices and ingredients such nutmeg, pepper, cane sugar, almonds, caraway, figs and raisins were highly prized and used quite heavily in flavoring sauces, meats and fruits.  Ginger, for example was favored for use with Lampreys. Interestingly, potatoes were introduced to English cuisine around 1536.

Social classes were very strictly enforced at the time and were composed of three main classes – Nobility, Clergy and Commoners. People were expected to remain within their class and to respect the authority of superior classes. Nobility and Clergy at the time indulged in fresh meat and vegetables/fruits, seasoned with expensives spices and flavors and demonstrated refined manners at the dining table, whereas commoners sustained themselves on coarse barley bread and preserved foods and were not expected to display any etiquette. Preserved foods consisted largely of food preserved right after slaughter or harvest; meats mostly comprised pork, as pigs could sustain themselves in forests and neighbouring areas quite easily, unlike cows and sheep. In sharp contrast, the Nobility pampered themselves with huge banquets that featured jellies, pies, fried food and roasted animals including peacocks, seals and even whales! The Clergy was supposed to abstain from worldly pleasures, however, higher officials in the Church indulged in gastronomic treats just the same as the Nobility. Monastries however, were stricter in their observance of fasting and feasting days along with rules for day to day consumption of food.

Pottage however, was a dish eaten by both the rich and the poor. A thick, soup like dish containing vegetables, meat and/or bran, pottage had an upmarket version called a ‘mortrew’ and one based on cerials calls ‘frumenty’.

Recipe Sample: Furmenty with purpaysse from Potage Dyvers (1430 – 1440)

Make thin Furmenty in the maner as I sayd be-fore, saue temper it vp with Almaunden, Mylke, & Sugre, & Safroun, than take thin Purpays as a Freysshe Samoun, & sethe it in fayre Water; & when he is I-sothe y-now, bawde it & leche it in fayre pecys, & serue wyth Furmenty in hote Water.

Food in the 1500s

The 1500’s or the Tudor era saw a massive increase in creativity and social transformations. Food however witnessed few changes. Staple diets continued to be based on meat, bread, pottage and wine. Fresh fruits and vegetables were still not eaten. In fact, the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables were banned during the plague of 1569.

International commerce continued to grow and this gave the rich access to even more exotic and unusual ingredients from places such as Chile, Mexico and Peru.  These included French beans, peppers, tapioca, lemons and melons. Consumption of sugar increased greatly among the wealthy. Combined with little or no knowledge of dental hygiene, the rich were highly prone to dental infections. Queen Elizabeth is said to have had black teeth due to her great love for sugar.

An important change in the Tudor era was the shift from bread trenchers to wooden trenchers. Wooden trenchers had three hollows, which were used for meat, gravy and salt. This was also a time when books on cooking began to be written and published regularly. The high cost of these books and that of the ingredients within ensured their circulation solely within wealthy circles.

Recipe Sample: Aristocrats Lard from The Good Huswifes Jewell (1585) by Thomas Dawson

laid upon a peverell or cover to save the mere sauce that commeth from it: then seethe the brine, and lay in your Beefe againe, see the brine be colde so let it lye two dayes and one night: then take it out, and lay it again on a hurdel two or three dayes. Then wype it everie peece with linnen cloth, dry them and couch it with salt, a laying of Beef and another of salt: and ye must lay a stick crosse each way, so that the brine may run from the salt.

References:

• British Library
• Cariadoc’s Miscellany