Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
BOILED BOAR’S HEAD ANYONE?
57 A MERRY TUDOR CHRISTMAS WITH LUCY WORSLEY THIS FRIDAY, 9PM, BBC2
There were luxurious feasts of wine, meat, sugar and spices, just as there are today. But did our Tudor ancestors know more about how to get in shape for the allimportant Christmas festivities than us 21st-century seasonal gluttons?
Historian Lucy Worsley, in costume as is now her tradition, looks at some of the weird and wonderful dishes eaten by the Tudors in her fascinating documentary, but before she gets into the nitty-gritty of what they ate, she reveals that in Tudor times ‘the Advent’ was a serious time of abstinence ahead of the festivities to come. ‘The Tudors went on a big fast in preparation for the religious celebration of the 12 days of Christmas – no meat and no dairy,’ she reveals. ‘For us, January is all about dieting, whereas the Tudors did it the other way around – strictly enforced by the church. They had a pretty grim four weeks, but while we have our parties throughout December they were humbling themselves in preparation for the parties to come.’
The celebrations started on Christmas Day and lasted a full 12 days – the period from the birth of Jesus to the arrival of the Three Wise Men. ‘The Tudors celebrated Twelfth Night but we don’t,’ says Lucy. ‘For us the end of Christmas is New Year’s Eve. I’d bring back Twelfth Night if I could – it would be a lovely way to cheer up the worst week in January when we’re back at work.’
In the show, Lucy, alongside food historian Annie Gray, prepares a royal feast in the kitchens at Hampton Court Palace, one of King Henry VIII’S favourite palaces, discovering the forerunners of some of the flavours we enjoy today. ‘The spiced scent of Christmas definitely stems from Tudor traditions. They were eating produce from around the world – they had spices from Africa and the Indies, and that lovely aroma of minced pies, mulled wine and Christmas pudding is still the scent of Christmas today.
‘The boar’s head we created for Henry VIII’S dinner was gross though. It was pickled in brine and boiled in wine for hours, with all the insides minced up and stuffed back in again. It was disgusting.’