Everybody Wants to Eat Like a King

Henry the Eighth

“When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies,
For they are deceptive food.”

Proverbs 23:1-3

Items at a Feast of Henry VIII

Black Pudding
Another popular dish -- still served in parts of England -- was black pudding. This sausage is made by filling a length of pig's intestine with the animal's boiled, congealed blood.

Boar's Head
A boar's head, garnished with bay and rosemary, served as the centerpiece of Christmas feasts. It certainly outdoes a floral display.

Roasted Swan
Roasted swan was another treat reserved for special occasions, largely because swans were regarded as too noble and dignified for everyday consumption. The bird was often presented to the table with a gold crown upon its head. To this day, English law stipulates that all mute swans are owned by the Crown and may not be eaten without permission from the Queen.

Vegetables

Perhaps the only type of food Henry and his court didn't consume to excess was vegetables, which were viewed as the food of the poor and made up less than 20 percent of the royal diet.

Marzipan
A paste made from ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites and flavored with cinnamon and pepper, marzipan was occasionally served at the end of a meal, although desserts weren't common in England until the 18th century when incredibly elaborate sugar sculptures became popular among the aristocracy.

Spiced Fruitcake
The exception to the no dessert rule was during the Twelfth Night banquet on January 6, when a special spiced fruitcake containing a dried pea (or bean) was served. Whoever found the pea would be king or queen of the pea (or bean) and was treated as a guest of honor for the remainder of the evening.

Wine and Ale
All this food was washed down with enormous quantities of wine and ale. Historians estimate that 600,000 gallons of ale (enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool) and around 75,000 gallons of wine (enough to fill 1,500 bathtubs) were drunk every year at Hampton Court Palace.

There is a video on YouTube showing someone shopping for one weeks worth of food to feed King Henry. It will amaze you! Henry suffered from Gross obesity and gout among other things. He died a painful and smelly death. Three shopping carts full of Pork, Beef, and mutton.  70 pints of Ale (he didn't drink water) @ shopping carts of white bread.  I thoroughly studied Henry's eating habits and decided not to reveal them in and effort to keep you from throwing up!

His diet was a version of the Standard American Diet (SAD) High in animal fat, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.

Vegetables and fruit were almost non existent in his diet.

Now I understand the warning of Proverbs 23:1-3. Rich people's delicacies will kill you if you eat them.