What Food Was Actually Like in the Elizabethan Period
Oh what a time to be alive in late 16th Century England!
Queen Elizabeth I was defending her throne while some plotted against her in favor of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. Regardless, Elizabeth’s reign cemented Britain as a global powerhouse in arts, culture, and cuisine. (Particularly sugary foods, we’ll soon find out.). Under Elizabeth’s rule, the aristocracy enjoyed a meat-heavy diet with plenty of decadence and splendor – though some of their customs may leave us scratching our heads now.
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@JulieSkeen-b2z
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
❤❤❤❤ty
@jhonnyvaldivieso5495
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
I'm like that delicious food in History.
@JDMDomo711
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
I LOVE the idea of dessert 1st and apps last. apps are the best part of the meal anyway. and u can snack while digesting.
@butchdugan
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
How were they eating?! I’m a chef and even I’m not sure!
@bluesdoggg
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Religious sickness often saw the fork as “The Devil’s Tines”.
@bluesdoggg
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
It’s almond juice, since almonds don’t have breasts
@Gggtoolfan
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Good God the super lame jokey comments are so off putting i had to click off
@dennisneo1608
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Why are medieval folk always depicted very ugly looking?
@OnnikaJeffryes-m2m
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Do people in Spain call that time period ‘The Elizabethan Era’?
Just curious!!!
@Yaqin.0nn
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
thank you so much i have a project on this topic, my group thought it was going to be very hard to find resources on this topic but you helped us a lot!
@dna9838
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
The very high quality of livestock (and their meat) was a big export industry for Britain for millennia, back to at least Romans.
Cheese at the end of a meal is actually very good for digestion, gut biome, and reduces bad bacteria on teeth.
@alisonpettit1185
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
I always love coming to the comments and seeing the scholars who know more than the chain of people who do extensive research, especially when it comes to history on history channels. They LOVE to make themselves heard as I’d they were there, they read and studied the subject and write their dissertation in the comment section on YouTube.
@jeffreyrobinson3555
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Pepper cloves cinnamon sold for its weight in gold, many other spices brought their et in silver. If you could afford spices you didn’t eat turned meat
@TheFinalBoss1997
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
English navy beat Spain not the British navy!!!
@MyHam-os4bq
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
I’m just trying to think how in the world Elizabethan law interpreted fish to mean that you could also eat chicken and poultry
@amywhite1000
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
🎉
@simonsbrushes
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Turnspit dogs…sounds adorable… and cruel
@proud2bpagan
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
My mom shares your attitude about almond milk..she said "It's not milk,'cause there ain't no almond titty,now,is there?"
@Pugs365
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
No, I would'nt enjoy table mates with black teeth, and probably grisly bear breath to go along with them.
@btetschner
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
1:13 I am a big mustard fan!
The National Mustard Museum is in Middleton, Wisconsin.
@btetschner
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Having a Weird History drink!
Drinking a cup of Twinings Darjeeling Tea with sugar*†…while watching this Weird History video!
* Inspired from the Weird History videos of the Royal Family.
† In the south they drink iced tea with sugar.
@timcarder2170
March 1, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Using spice to cover up old meat, is a grocery stores standard of practice (their, Motis Operandi, you could say.)
Every time you see a piece of (any) meat totally covered in some blend of spices or other in the meat coolers, it's because it's gone unsold past it's, Best Before date.
So they coat and/or marinate (to camouflage any discoloration and/or flavour change), then repackage the item with a new Best Before date.
All quite legitimately, because governments have set guidelines about how long stores can keep ALL products out on the shelves.
So the stores just play with the dates to fool the consumers.
And…some will actually charge, more, for those coated pieces, to further the illusion(s).