Food and Identity in England, 1540-1640 Eating to Impress

by Lloyd, Paul S.; Kümin, Beat; Cowan, Brian

• ISBN13: 9781472514431
• ISBN10: 1472514432
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-04-23
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Food and Identity in England, 1540-1640 considers early modern food consumption in an important new way, connecting English consumption practices between the reigns of Henry VIII and Charles I with ideas of 'self' and 'otherness' in wider contexts of society and the class system.

Examining the diets of various social groups, ranging from manual labourers to the aristocracy, special foods and their preparation, as well as festive events and gift foods, this all-encompassing study reveals the extent to which individuals and communities identified themselves and others by what and how they ate between the Reformation of the church and the English Civil Wars. This text provides remarkable insights for anyone interested in knowing more about the society and culture of early modern England.

Author Biography

Paul S. Lloyd is a lecturer at the University of Leicester, UK.

Table of Contents

PART ONE
Introduction
Chapter 1: Food and Identity
PART TWO
Chapter 2: The meaner sort and their diets
Chapter 3: The middling sort and their diet
Chapter 4: The diet of the gentry
PART THREE
Chapter 5: Special Foods and Their Preparation
Chapter 6: Sociability – Gift-Foods and Special Occasions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index