Csapó Katalin - Füreder Balázs - Sári Zsolt: Reneszánsz ételek – Ételek reneszánsza Időszaki kiállítás 2008. március–május (Budapest, 2008)

England In 1485 the House of Tudor ascended the English throne. Henry VIII (1491-1547) was crowned in 1509. The boisterous and grandeur-loving king was not only famous for his many wives, but also his astonishing banquets. He would participate in events in his capacity as a composer, dancer and athlete. He had a voracious appetite, little wonder then that at Hampton Court, his palace in south-west London, a team of two hundred servants provided the meals for a retinue of eight hundred people twice, and later three times, a day. This practice cost Henry VIII the equivalent of six million pounds a year. The many rooms of the huge kitchen, its six open fireplaces, period kitchenware, typical glazed pots and metal utensils are still there. The king's kitchen produced mainly meat dishes, in particular beef. Beef stew was the order of the day, made with wine and exotic spices, and often currents. A special culinary feature at Henry Vlll's banquets was roast peacock, beautifully decorated on the table. The spectacular serving of dishes was in any case an important element of any meal. Interestingly, cooked pasta with butter and cheese was a dish known to them. Confectionary came in the form of alabasterlooking melted sugar, even though cane sugar was a very expensive delicacy. Some of the deserts were covered with edible gold leaf, an instance of flaunting royal wealth. The luxury pastime of sugar sculpture was in great vogue. Henry VIII liked fruit - apples, plums, cherries, strawberries, apricots and marmalade. He was a great fan of artichokes. At the time of Henry VIII cooks used typical enamelled ceramic pots with a green translucent glaze of copper and lead. Cutlery was made of hardwood and forks, imported from Italy, were only used for serving. Serviettes were placed on the left shoulder. It was considered impolite to eat everything up at a court banquet, because the lower classes could count on finishing the leftovers. 51. Goblet and Ewer, 16th century.