Plenti and Grase: Food and Drink in a Sixteenth-Century Household

In this enchanting and informative study of the kitchen accounts of the Willoughby family from 1520 to 1603, Dawson uses the detailed recording of purchases to show the actual habits of one British family. He supplements this with information from other sources, showing how the Willoughbys fit or deviated from the assumed pattern. Beginning with the almost soap opera relations among the family members, which sets the stage, Dawson progresses to their diet: grains, meat and dairy, fish, fruits and vegetables and sundries. He then looks at the methods of storing, preserving and cooking food along with the customs surrounding dining. In passing we learn that breakfast was not considered the most important meal of the day and that the Willoughbys seem to have kept the Catholic fast days for some time after England became officially Protestant. Altogether, this is a fascinating look at a slice of life in Tudor England. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)