"The History of Food – Wiggs, Puddings and Pies "
September 2007 Meeting Report
Guest Speaker - Carol Allison
The September 2007 meeting of the Keyworth & Local History Society was held in The Centenary Lounge, Keyworth on 7th September 2007. Carol Allison, a member of the Society, gave a talk entitled ‘The History of Food – Wiggs, Puddings and Pies’. (The ‘wiggs’ in question were slightly sweetened buns flavoured with carraway seeds.)
Carol began by saying that with the restoration of the monarchy in this country following the English civil war something of a mini revolution occurred with regard to the food that was eaten. Whilst King Charles II was in exile in France he was introduced to new foods and recipes. With the demise of the Commonwealth the monarchy was re-established and Charles took his place as the King of England. Whilst in France however he had developed a taste for some of the new food that he been introduced to whilst in exile there. As a result these new foods and recipes found themselves being introduced into England.
However, these new trends in food and cooking took a little while to establish themselves and it was the turn of the 18th century before they became commonplace. Commonplace though only refers to those people who were in the fortunate position of being able to choose what they ate. For a great proportion of the population the food available was seasonal, mundane and monotonous. For that portion of the population that was wealthy however things were very different and they were able to indulge themselves in all of the new eating fads and fancies. It became fashionable to discover or create new recipes. These new recipes could then be used to impress ones friends, neighbours and peers. One such place where this was occurring was Hopton Hall in Derbyshire. These new recipes were collected and made into the form of a book. This book contained around 500 new recipes and it was from this recipe book that Carol showed a few examples.
Whilst most of these recipes were for food that was to be eaten, some of them were also to be used as preparations to cure certain ailments and conditions. One such recipe was for a ‘milk-snail water’. Equal proportions of earthworms and snails were used. The snails were crushed, whilst the worms were slit open. The resulting mixture was then boiled in water and then the essence that resulted was distilled off. The finished liquid was then placed on cubes of sugar to be taken as prescribed. Unfortunately, the recipe book does not state what this tasty concoction was a cure for. The mind can only boggle!
Carol then went on to describe what was eaten at the first meal of the day, namely breakfast. Bread, meat and cheese could be on the menu, accompanied by the ‘new’ drinks of tea, coffee and chocolate. At poorer residences ale and beer were the staple drinks. Butter and marmalade were used to accompany the bread, though the bread had to be toasted first as the butter was kept very cold and as such impossible to spread. Dinner was the next main meal of the day. This could be a very substantial affair, lasting several hours to consume. Sweet and savoury dishes were offered and these were eaten in conjunction with each other. As dinners became more and more elaborate so the time that it was eaten tended to get later, particularly in town and at the greater houses. One of the protocols that was observed was the separation of men and women during the meal. Women would be seated at one end of the table whilst men would be seated at the opposite end.
Carol then went on to describe a series of pies and the meat that would be used to fill them. Venison was a particular favourite, though beef was equally popular. Mutton could also feature; as could turkey, chicken and duck. Often a fish course was also offered. The reason that the meat was prepared in pies was that the outer crust of pastry on the pie acted as a form of preservative for the meat inside. In this form the pie could last for several days before being finally consumed.
The prestige and standing of the host was reflected in the number of individual dishes that were offered at the meal. Anything from ten to fifteen, or even twenty various concoctions would be available including the sweet course. Once the meal had been consumed then it was customary for the ladies to retire to another room whilst the men remained to enjoy a drink and conversation. Port, brandy and all varieties of wine were consumed, (often in quite considerable quantities!)
Carol then went on to mention puddings. These could be either sweet or savoury. Such delicacies as blood puddings, liver puddings, suet puddings, fruit puddings (though without being sweetened with sugar), and rice puddings. All of these puddings would often have some sort of sauce as an accompaniment.
The last meal of the day was supper, this might just consist of ale, bread and meat or perhaps a ‘possett’. A possett comprised of wine, heated with cream and spices and was drunk in the form of a nightcap. The presentation then ended and Carol answered questions from the floor. The audience were then invited to sample some of the food that Carol had prepared especially for the occasion. All of the food was contemporary with the period that had been discussed and prepared according to recipes that had been used at that time.