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Before Farm to Table

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Much Ado About Stuffing: Recreating an early modern stuffing recipe
cutting open to the turkey and stuffing
Shakespeare and Beyond

Much Ado About Stuffing: Recreating an early modern stuffing recipe

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Elisa Tersigni Jack Bouchard Julia Fine Michael Walkden

Photo credit: Brittany Diliberto, Bee Two Sweet Today, turkey and stuffing are central fare on the holiday table. But turkeys weren’t even known in England until the 1520s, when they were introduced by explorers returning from the Americas. Turkey was…

Food culture and First Chefs: Appreciating the layers of meaning behind food in Shakespeare’s world and our own
marmite food memory
Shakespeare and Beyond

Food culture and First Chefs: Appreciating the layers of meaning behind food in Shakespeare’s world and our own

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Author
Julia Fine

In Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio grabs a leg of roast mutton and throws it to the ground. Doing so, he exclaims, “it engenders choler, planteth anger,/ And better ‘twere that both of us did fast.” As food…

Not Shakespeare’s cup of tea: Consuming caffeine in early modern England
Pamphlet against coffee
Shakespeare and Beyond

Not Shakespeare’s cup of tea: Consuming caffeine in early modern England

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Author
Elisa Tersigni

In Shakespeare’s plays, we find scenes that take place in taverns and alehouses – but no coffee shops – and characters who drink ale and wine – but not what we now think of as the quintessential English beverage: tea.…

"Excrements of the earth": Mushrooms in early modern England
Illustration of mushrooms in a Czech herbal
Shakespeare and Beyond

"Excrements of the earth": Mushrooms in early modern England

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Author
Michael Walkden

Attitudes towards mushrooms in Shakespeare’s England reveal deeply held cultural anxieties about groups perceived as threats to the social fabric.

Tastes of the Mediterranean: Italian food before Italy
Woodblock print illustrating the proper set up of a kitchen
Shakespeare and Beyond

Tastes of the Mediterranean: Italian food before Italy

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Author
Elisa Tersigni

Italian regions share a culinary history that is rooted in the ingredients, tastes, and techniques that came out of early-modern innovations, explorations, and cultural movements.

A Guide to Ladies: Hannah Woolley's missing book emerges from the archives
A Guide to Ladies by Hannah Woolley
Shakespeare and Beyond

A Guide to Ladies: Hannah Woolley's missing book emerges from the archives

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Author
David B. Goldstein

One of Hannah Woolley’s books has sat hidden in plain sight at the Folger since 1990—included in the Folger online catalog, but missing from an international database that scholars often use to search for early English books. It is the…

Akara from Africa: Black-eyed pea fritters, inspired by Hercules
akara
Shakespeare and Beyond

Akara from Africa: Black-eyed pea fritters, inspired by Hercules

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Author
Amanda Herbert

Learn more about black-eyed peas’ place in the early modern world and enjoy this akara recipe inspired by Hercules, a chef enslaved by George Washington.

British Beef, French Style: Robert May's Braised Brisket
Robert May's brisket. Recipe developed by Marissa Nicosia. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Shakespeare and Beyond

British Beef, French Style: Robert May's Braised Brisket

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Author
Marissa Nicosia

British beef cooked in a French style: Marissa Nicosia shares an early modern recipe for brisket from “The Accomplisht Cook,” by 17th-century English chef Robert May.

The "American Nectar": William Hughes's hot chocolate
Shakespeare and Beyond

The "American Nectar": William Hughes's hot chocolate

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Author
Marissa Nicosia

The perfect post for a winter’s day: Marissa Nicosia shares an early modern recipe for hot chocolate, associated with 17th-century author, botanist, and pirate William Hughes.

Savory biscuits from a 17th-century recipe
Savory Cogs Biscuits. All photography by Brittany Diliberto. www.beetwosweet.com
Shakespeare and Beyond

Savory biscuits from a 17th-century recipe

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Author
Elisa Tersigni Jack Bouchard

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
Hartmann Schopper. Panoplia omnium… 1568. Folger Shakespeare Library.
Shakespeare and Beyond

In the spirit of Oktoberfest: Food, drink, and changing times in early modern Europe

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Author
Jack Bouchard

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.

Toil and trouble: Recipes and the witches in 'Macbeth'
recipes
Shakespeare and Beyond

Toil and trouble: Recipes and the witches in 'Macbeth'

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Author
David B. Goldstein

Shakespeare’s witches, like nearly all witches of Shakespeare’s time, have their roots in the kitchen more than in the study.

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