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

Food and Identity in England, 1540-1640considers 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.

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

Lloyds work uses interesting sources to tell an important story about food in England in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries & The tale told in this volume will be of interest to those seeking to understand the meaning that clings to food and to those seeking a greater understanding of the Tudor and Stuart period of English History. The Historian

Despite leaving out many parts of the Caribbean, the book's project is neither undermined, nor lacking in any respect. It plays well on the dynamics between wisely chosen general notions and the particular examples depicted so colourfully. The writing style makes it widely accessible not only to scholars within lóO