A Meal Fit for a King! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Deer

Rich people in Tudor times would have eaten meat from all of these animals, which they hunted. Hunting deer was a favourite occupation of the monarch and the nobility of the time. Some forests were called 'Royal' forests where only the aristocrats were allowed to chase and kill deer.

Answer: Ale

Water was not usually drunk because most rivers and streams were contaminated. Fermenting grain with water and yeast destroyed the bacteria, although the people of mediaeval times were not aware of this. They may not have known the reason, but they did know that ales and beers were safe to drink.

The process was often repeated, so that the level of alcohol in the final product was low. This was given the name of small beer.

Answer: Eel

Cod, herring and mackerel are all sea fish. Although they would have been eaten in Tudor times, it was difficult to keep food fresh so these fish would normally be available only to people living near the coast. Freshwater eels belong to one particular family, and even they produce their young at sea.

The young eels are called elvers at that stage, when they start their journey from the sea into the rivers.

Answer: Salting

The most common methods of preserving foods were salting and drying. Both meats and fish were stored by salting, either by burying the food in dry salt or by putting it in brine, which is a mixture of salt and water. Animals were often slaughtered in the autumn (fall) because it was too expensive to feed them over the winter months. Drying, particularly of fish, and pickling in vinegar were also available with fruits being made into jam to preserve them.

Answer: Apples

Cider is made by breaking apples up to form a pulp, then pressing this pulp to extract the juice. This is then allowed to ferment naturally to turn to alcohol. Perry is a drink made in a similar way, but using pears instead of apples.

Answer: Rabbits

All of these animals could have found as part of the Tudor menu, but warreners mainly looked after rabbits. Their name came from the burrows in which rabbits live, which are called warrens. Warreners could also look after other forms of wildlife, when they were known as gamekeepers.

Answer: Oranges

Catherine came from the area of Aragon, now part of Spain, which is well known for its oranges. In Tudor times, fresh fruit was not often eaten, as it was thought to be unhealthy, and was usually cooked to be made into jams or pies. Oranges were used to make marmalade. Bananas were not commonly available until Stuart times, with the first record of them being sold in the UK dating to 1633.

They remained very expensive for another 250 years.

Answer: Mead

Mead is a drink which has been made for many thousands of years, with references to it being found in Indian, Greek and Viking history. It is made by fermenting honey with water and, sometimes, spices. Port is made from grapes, and Kirsch is made from cherries. Tequila originates from Mexico and is made from the Agave plant.

Answer: Swan

Chicken and duck appear regularly on our dinner tables now, and were also available in Tudor times. Although turkey may have been available at the time, it was not as common as it is now. Roast swan was often served as the centrepiece of a feast, and was usually eaten only by the nobility. In the UK, it is now illegal to eat swans, which are classed as the property of the monarch.

Answer: Bread

The main food eaten to accompany each meal was bread, which varied in quality depending on your status in society. The rich would have a form of white bread, with the very poor sometimes having to make do with bread made from poorer grains. This bread was a very dark brown in colour, and sometimes black. Potatoes were not commonly eaten in the time of Henry VIII.

The first ones did not arrive in the UK until the late sixteenth century.