Savory biscuits from a 17th-century recipe
Interested in adding variety to your Thanksgiving dinner? Try this modernized 17th-century recipe for savory biscuits based on a manuscript in the Folger collection.
In the spirit of Oktoberfest: Food, drink, and changing times in early modern Europe
As October comes to an end, we celebrate food, drink, and culture in the German cities of Shakespeare’s day, including the creation of beer and wine and the harvest festivals each fall, marked by our modern-day tradition of Oktoberfest.
A world of poison: The Overbury scandal
The poisoning in Shakespeare’s play King John, and in Romeo and Hamlet, too, had real-world parallels, too. Delve into the infamous story of Thomas Overbury’s death at the Tower of London in 1613.
Toil and trouble: Recipes and the witches in 'Macbeth'
Shakespeare’s witches, like nearly all witches of Shakespeare’s time, have their roots in the kitchen more than in the study.
Mince pies and mirth: Transcribed 17th-century recipes
Mince pies and a honey-spiced drink called mirth are just two of hundreds of recipes found in a 17th-century handwritten recipe book once owned by Leticia Cromwell.
A pumpkin pie recipe from 17th-century England
In this pumpkin pie recipe from the late 1600s, you peel and slice the pumpkin into thin wedges, dipping them in egg before frying them. Apples, raisins, currants, and sherry also get added to the pie.
Etiquette in early modern England (part 2)
Books on manners became so popular during the Elizabethan period that it was only a matter of time before someone satirized them.
Etiquette in early modern England (part 1)
“Manners maketh man” was the motto of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England. Would your own table manners pass inspection?
An English Garden: Dancing tunes and lyric poetry in Elizabethan England
As the arts and culture flourished in Shakespeare’s England, musical life blossomed as well.
The rise and fall of sumptuary laws: Rules for dressing in Shakespeare's England
In Shakespeare’s England, those wearing clothes adjudged to be above their station were subject to fines or imprisonment under sumptuary laws.
The well-dressed Elizabethan: Renaissance fashions as social markers
Renaissance fashion was unquestionably distinctive, especially among the upper class, who favored clothing with luxurious fabrics and dramatic silhouettes.
Educating and training a child in the early modern period
Education was increasingly important in the early modern period with the rise of social mobility, but children were also put to work around the household.