What were typical foods and drinks in the 16th century?

Question

What were typical foods and drinks in the 16th century?

Answer 1

WINE I DUNNO

Answer 2

Someone had the same homework a while back - here't one of the links:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 3

Tiny Valkyrie has already answered most of your question; as for drinks, most people, regardless of social class, drank mostly ale or wine. Water was generally unsafe for drinking, milk was thought to cause blindness, and fruit juice wasn't really available. The ale of the middle ages wasn't like today's beer; it was thicker, frothier, and more nutritious. Wine tended to be very mild and was brewed not only from grapes but from other fruits, such as blackberries.

Most dishes, especially meat dishes, had a sweet-sour flavor, with vinegar and honey being common seasonings. Also, many fruits and vegetables that we know today, such as carrots and sweet oranges, didn't exist at the time (many modern vegetables are the product of plant breeding). For example, in the middle ages there were two kinds of carrots, one yellowish and bitter, the other purplish and sweet; these two were eventually bred together to yield orange carrots.

Answer 4

See http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/wsnlinks/in... for recipes from the 16th century.

Answer 5

basically the same as found in any grocery today...

without all the silly nonsense like organic.

as for drink..?? again the list is about the same with out the canned stuff..

Answer 6

It would depend on social status and wealth:

Bread, fresh vegetables and fruits when in season, cheeses, meats, fowl and wild game, salted meat and sausages, fresh and salted fish, eggs, butter, olive oil in climates where olives grew, oatmeal, barley porridge, millet, rye, honey, molasses, salt, herbs, and some spices.

Rice, more spices, and fruits like pomegranates, coconuts, and pineapples if you had the significant monies needed to import it or buy it from traders.

Drink wise, cider and ale for the lower classes.  Wines for the wealthier classes.   Very little water: they hadn't yet linked poor sanitation and contaminated water and illness, so merely refrained from drinking it.  Milk was used for butter and cheese since there was no refrigeration.