Sunday, April 15, 2012

Eating 17th-century food

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat the way people did in the 17th century? I've dreamt about an immersion course (small beer for breakfast — why not?) to see what life was like for my ancestors and get details for my novel. But after watching this hilarious episode of the BBC's Supersizers, I'm glad Giles and Sue did the immersion for me. I can live vicariously through their experiences while keeping my internal organs in good working order.

Each of the six videos below is about 10 minutes, for a total 1-hour episode about life — and especially food — in Restoration England. Thanks to A Woodrunners Diary for the idea.

My ancestors in Ireland were Quakers, so they would not have set such an extravagant table. There's a clip about Puritan/Quaker/country food towards the end of the third video.






1 comment:

Mel Jones said...

I am going to have to set aside time to watch this. How interesting! I love Whole Slow Food, but I don't get the feeling that's what this is about!

Quakers in Ireland in the 17th/18th century. I would love to hear more about this. I am first generation Irish American, and to hear the old folks tell it there is one person in Ireland not Catholic (currently the Queen of England) and she has destroyed it for everyone else...

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