Early Modern English Cookery

[Shannon_Elise]

I apologize in advance if this has been asked before, but I was hoping that you guys would be able to point me in the right direction.

I am doing a research paper (I have yet to find a distinct focus) on the Culture of the Kitchen in early modern England. The time period I am looking at is 1465-1714. I am in America, but I was hoping people might be able to shove me in the right direction towards good, primary sources. Any information at all would be very helpful.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Shannon

[gus_tatory]

these are not primary sources, but are both very rich and can _lead_ you to a panoply of primary sources:

--Penguin Companion to Food

--Larousse Gastronomique

good luck~!

[jackal10]

That is quite a time span, duing which there were many social and other changes

I'd start with something like Roy Strong's Feast: A history of Grand Food.

Also

British Food: An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History; Hardcover ~ Colin Spencer

The Art of Dining: A History of Cooking and Eating; Paperback ~ Sara Paston-Williams

The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities and the Meaning of Table Manners; Paperback ~ Margaret Visser

Food: A History; Paperback ~ Felipe Fernandez-Armesto

For the early part of the period:

Mead The English Feast

Cindy Renfrow's collection of 15th century recipes: Take a Thousand Eggs or more

Many other recipe books if you search on medieval cooking

Reading the original manuscripts, still less deducing anything from them is very hard work

There is a nice reprint from Tom Jaine's Prospect Books of

"The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Kt

OPENED" (1669)

This is about the middle of your period, and might be a way to dive in.

Edited February 4, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

The be all and end all of Medieval culinary websites:

Medieval and Renaissance Webring

[Shannon_Elise]

All these sources are amazing thank you so much, and keep them coming!

I know this was a large span of time, but I am hoping after intial reading to narrow down the time period to a span of around 50-80 years.

The class is English 541: Early Modern England and we are required to do a research paper on anything pertaining to that time period. Most of my classmates are doing things such as weaponry, Richard, Mary, battle tactics...etc. But since I absolutely love all things food (cooking, reading, the history of...) I thought I would break away from the pack and take this as my project.

Thanks again,

Shannon

[andiesenji]

I would suggest that you visit Acanthus Books

and look through the reprints they have available, especially the Tudor - Elizabethan - 16th century selections which are fairly extensive.

It is a great resource for anyone delving into the past of cookery.

[Stigand]

This could be a fascinating paper.

One thing that might be interesting to look at is the emerging relationship between food/diet/recipes and English national identity in the period.

Looking back to the fourteenth century, you can find commentators horrified to hear that poor people were eating roasted and boiled meat regularly (after the Black Death and early C14th famines there were fewer people, and more livestock). But by the early eighteenth century, eating meat (and especially beef) is strongly associated with England, and in particular with what were seen as its ancient liberties and its constitutional monarchy (the Roast Beef of Old England and all that) - it's seen as Very Good Thing to do. It would be interesting to look at how these views of what English people should eat changed, to trace the change in recipe books, and to draw out the connections with England's economic and agrarian history in the period.

Not sure you were looking for suggestions, but in any case that was one!

[Charlie O]

But by the early eighteenth century, eating meat (and especially beef) is strongly associated with England, and in particular with what were seen as its ancient liberties and its constitutional monarchy (the Roast Beef of Old England and all that) - it's seen as Very Good Thing to do. It would be interesting to look at how these views of what English people should eat changed, to trace the change in recipe books, and to draw out the connections with England's economic and agrarian history in the period.

This book will cover the very end of your period but you might be interested in it

Beef and Liberty: Roast Beef, John Bull and the English Nation

Ben Rogers

Good luck.

[Adam Balic]

Shannon - this site has very useful information. Ivan Day Historical Food

For original information:

Slightly before your time, but interesting as the first collection of English recipes. Forme of Cury

Again maybe a little early for you. Liber cure Cocorum

From 16th century Canterbury. A Proper newe Booke of Cokerye

A similar 17th century text. A

NEVV BOOKE of Cookerie.

A 18th century pastry/baking text by Kidder

The university of Barcelona as on-line scans of 16-18th century cookbooks. Here is the 17th century page. Hannah Woolley's "The Queen-like closet, or Rich cabinet" is especially worth looking at and makes a very intersting comparison to Robert May's "The Accomplisht Cook", which is often considered on of the great books of English cookery.

Sounds like great fun. Enjoy

[Andy Lynes]

From 16th century Canterbury. A Proper newe Booke of Cokerye

←

Haven't they heard of spellchecker?

[Adam Balic]

Yes, but Ye Olde Spellchecker is notoriously poor.

[Jon Tseng]

Food in History by Reay Tannahill?

Also try the proceedings of the annual Oxford Food Symposiums (Jackel10 may know more)

On the whole though I have always found the quality of food history books distinctly uninspiring.

J

Also NB there are early modern/medieval kitchens open to the public at Leeds Castle and Hampton Court Palace - both in the southeast of England (dunno if theres any pictures of them on the web?)