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Introduction
Inthismonographtheprocurement,storage,preparation,serviceandconsumption
offoodinthehouseholdsofgreaterandlessernobilityinEnglandinthefifteenthand
sixteenthcenturiesareinvestigatedtogetherwithhouseholdstructureandorganisa-
tion.Botharistocracyandgentryspentsignificantsumsofmoneyonfoodanddrink,
whichresultedfromtheirdesiretomakeanimpression,ontheonehand,andfrom
thedutyofhospitality,whichwasanimportantaspectofnoblelife,ontheother.
Hospitalitywasbothademonstrationandanexerciseofpowerandtheinvitations
offeredwereveryoftencluestoshiftingalliancesandtheflowofpower.Household
accountsshowthatguestswereregularlyaccommodatedattheestatesofthewealthy
anddiningandfeastswereusedforthepurposeofnetworking.
Thehistoryoffoodhasbeengivenmuchattention,whichresultedinawide-ranging
literaturedealingwiththemeaningoffoodanditsimpactonpeople'slives.Wemust
remember,however,thatfoodhistoryisconsidereddistinctfromthemoretraditional
fieldofculinaryhistory,whichfocusesontheoriginandrecreationofspecificreci-
pes.Surprisingly,fooddevelopedrelativelyrecentlyasafieldofstudyandisnot
yetfullyrecognisedasanacademicsubject.InGreatBritainmuchresearchonfood
historyhasbeenconductedbyjustafewacademicsbutmosthasbeenundertaken
byamateurs.OutsidetheUKculinaryhistorygroupsformedmainlyintheUSA,
CanadaandAustralia.Indeed,theDepartmentofHistoryatTheUniversityof
AdelaidehasestablishedaResearchCentrefortheHistoryofFoodandDrink.The
Centre'sactivitiesembracethehistoryoffoodanddrinkinbothanAustralianand
aglobalcontext.Additionally,manyuniversitydepartmentsofferpostgraduatestud-
iesinthehistoryoffood,forinstance,theFoodStudiesProgramattheUniversityof
Adelaide,amultidisciplinaryprogramforpeoplewhowanttounderstandthehistory
andcultureoffoodanddrink.AfurtherexampleisTheFoodStudiesProgramme
atChathamUniversity,USA,aninterdisciplinarydomainthatincludesagricultural
andculinaryhistoryaswellassociological,cultural,political,economic,andgeo-
graphicexaminationsoffoodproductionandconsumption.
Almostseventyyearsago,in1939,JackDrummond,adistinguishedbiochemist
interestedingastronomy,publishedtheresultsofhisstudyinabook,co-authored
withAnneWilbraham,TheEnglishman’sFood:AHistoryofFiveCenturiesofEng-
lishDiet.1Thisground-breakingvolumeisasurveyoffoodproduction,consump-
1
J.DrummondandA.Wilbraham,TheEnglishman’sFood:AHistoryofFiveCenturiesof
EnglishDiet(London,1939).Thebookwasfullyrevisedandeditedin1957byDorothy
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