What the Tudors REALLY ate – and why it was healthier than you think

Video Description

Historian Ruth Goodman takes us into the smoky, aromatic world of Tudor food and drink. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/subhistoryextrayoutube Find out what ordinary people really ate in the 16th century, how they cooked it, and how these centuries-old habits shaped the modern British diet. In this episode of her series on Tudor Life, Goodman explains how no two weeks of the Tudor diet were ever the same. Each food source had its own rhythm, tied to daylight, weather, and livestock cycles, following a calendar that was shaped by survival and faith alike. Goodman also explores one of the greatest kitchen revolutions in history: the shift from wood to coal fires. Find out how this change transformed cooking methods, kitchen design, and even taste itself. Filmed on location at Plas Mawr – an Elizabethan townhouse in Conwy, North Wales, now in the care of Cadw – this series with Ruth looks beyond the royals who often dominate the headlines, and considers the everyday routines of those living in England and Wales in the Tudor era. Don’t miss the rest of the episodes in Ruth’s new HistoryExtra Academy course on Tudor Life. The seven episodes, filmed on location at Plas Mawr in Conwy, cover everything you need to know about daily life in the Tudor era: from childhood and marriage to food and religion. Download the HistoryExtra app for the latest episodes, ad-free https://historyextra.onelink.me/MJpt/2u7xxzlc #HistoryExtra #tudor #history 00:53 What sort of food did people eat? 04:18 Seasonal Tudor cooking 10:47 How was food cooked? 16:11 Keeping food fresh in the 16th century ▷ Follow the podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/3Y6n8Bt ▷ Like our page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryExtra ▷ Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/HistoryExtra ▷ Follow us Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyextra ▷ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCy4hMtkf5aFZrlTcHPWRc_g Subscribe to our Substack for Life Lessons from History with Dr David Musgrove: https://historyextra.substack.com/ 🏰 BBC History Magazine Step into the past for only £12! Get 6 months of the UK's best-selling history magazine—packed with gripping stories, cutting-edge research, and insights from the world’s top historians. https://www.buysubscriptions.com/print/bbc-history-magazine-subscription?promo=HIYT25&utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube.com&utm_campaign=6-for-9.99-2025_hiyt25&utm_content=ribbon BBC History Extra Love History? Download the HistoryExtra app for ad-free episodes, exclusive long-read features like the History’s Greatest series, and interactive courses led by experts in the HistoryExtra Academy. Download now! https://historyextra.onelink.me/MJpt/2u7xxzlc