If it exists, what is the proper title for a "royal food tester"?

Question

For my story/book, I have a character that holds that position, but having him say, "I'm the King's food tester" seems kind of...unfit. I can't seem to think of what else to call it, and I've come up empty handed with searching and dictionaries.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Sir Poinous to be Poisioned, lol.

Answer 2

The most common name is "food taster", not tester.

Sometimes called Royal Food Taster, or Court Food Taster but the "King's Food Taster" seems the best description.

Answer 3

Village Idiot !!! Just my sense of humor creeping in there for a minute. There were many obsequious positions within the royal courts of ancient cultures. There is an account in the Bible (Genesis Chapter 40) where Joseph interprets dreams for the Pharaoh's chief baker (head cook) and Pharaoh's butler (his cup bearer) and there are other records of feudal courts that refer to the "royal food taster" but there were not any other titles given to these positions that I am able to discern unless you choose to use a title  such as "valet".

Answer 4

Appendix on two legs.

Answer 5

Royal Food Taster

Do you have a taste for rich food and enjoy playing culinary roulette? In these troubled times, a position has arisen in the royal house to be her majesty's official food taster. You never know when some wretched rascal is going to have a pop at the queen and slip something nasty into a dainty dish, so your job is to taste everything before it crosses the royal lips.

A sip of soup here, a smidgen of pie there, there's no end to the delights that await your taste buds. Of course, you won't actually get to eat any complete dishes, and there's always the chance that you'll crash to the floor clutching you throat as, with your last gasps, you slip off this mortal coil. But the money is fantastic and better than that – you'll be protecting the queen!

Answer 6

Assayer.  (I just read this in a Tudor history book.)

"The irony is intensified by the fact that his assayer (royal food taster)..."

From "Robert of Cisyle", a medieval romance.

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/tea...

Answer 7

Usually the jester.

Answer 8

The term Royal Food Taster was just that. There is no other term for it.

Answer 9

A food taster is a person that takes food to be served to someone else to confirm that it is safe to eat and does not contain toxins or poisons. The person to whom the food is going to be served is usually an important person, like an emperor or monarch, or anyone that could possibly be under threat of assassination or harm.

The safety of the food is determined by observing whether or not the food taster subsequently becomes ill. Food tasting would not be effective against slow-acting poisons that take a long time to show any visible symptoms. In recent times, animals such as mice might be used to prevent food poisoning.

Answer 10

Poison Control