Need suggestions:birthday party for Shakespeare

[Susann]

I know this is an odd topic, but my 12th graders are going to have a birthday party for Shakespeare at the end of this month. They will bring in their favorite sonnet/portion of a play. Hopefully, they will also dress up as their favorite character. We have birthday cake and sing happy birthday to Bill (I tell my classes that I call him that because we went to high school together http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )!I want to surprise them and bring in some authentic cuisine. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help!

[KValley]

Susann- What a great idea. I'm a closet bard junkie!

check out this great website: http://www.soupsong.com/ibard.html

It cites all references to food in Shakespeare's works- quail and quince, figs and fennel, anyone? Hopefully it will give you some idea of the foods from that era...

A Midsummer Night's Dream, IV, 2:
BOTTOM: ... And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet comedy. No more words: away! go, away!

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Julie



[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 04-12-2001).]

[lorilei]

Sounds like a great idea! Here's some ideas that ran through my head:

How about making a load of miniature pasties, resembling the game pies of the period? In place of meade or mulled wine, you might bring a mulled cider. Gingerbread can also be used as a period food...

There's a great book of recipes you might check out called Eating Shakespeare: Recipes and More from the Bard's Kitchen by Betty Zyvatkauskas and Sonia Zyvatkauskas

Here are a couple of recipes from the book:
________________________________

Jumbles
I believe this is a variation on the "Ciambellette" -- a medieval cookie of sorts

"More are men's ends mark'd than their lives before. The setting sun and the music at the close, as the last taste of sweets is sweetest last, writ in remembrance more than things long past." -- Richard II

2 eggs
125 mL (1/2 cup) sugar
15 mL (3 tsp) aniseed
375 mL (11/2 cups) flour
Rosewater or liqueur (optional)

Beat the eggs for 2 minutes until frothy. Beat in sugar, then aniseed and flour. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add a little more flour.
Roll the dough into long ropes about 1.25 cm (1/2-inch) thick. Cut into 7.5 to 10 cm (3-to 4-inch) lengths and tie each piece into a knot.
Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F).

Boil a large pot of water, then drop the knots into the water and boil until they rise to the surface (2 minutes or less). Remove from the water and drain. Arrange on a prepared cookie sheet. Brush with rosewater or liqueur (if using), then bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until golden.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen jumbles. ___________________________________

Sage Fritters

Falstaff: "Seese" and "putter"! Have I liv 'd to stand at the taunt of one that makes fritters of English? -- The Merry Wives of Windsor

1 egg
15 mL (1 tbsp) sugar
1 mL ( 1/4 tsp) cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of ground saffron
60 mL ( 1/4 cup) flour
Butter for frying
24 fresh sage leaves

Beat the egg with the sugar, cinnamon, salt, pepper and saffron until smooth. Beat in the flour 5 mL (1 tsp) at a time until the batter is the consistency of thick glue and will adhere to the sage leaves.

Melt butter in frying pan. When it sizzles, fry the battered leaves until they are crispy and golden. Pat dry with a paper towel and serve immediately.

Makes 24 fritters.
___________________________


Madge Lorwin wrote a book called Dining with William Shakespeare that I think was published by Atheneum publishers

and P W Hammond wrote a book entitled Food and Feast in Medieval England which has some great authentic ideas!

You might also check at victoria.women.com/vict/celebrate/food/30vrec16.htm

They have an Elizabethan menu there that might give you some ideas.

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 04-12-2001).]

[lorilei]

Oh, fie! a double posting!

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 04-12-2001).]

[AvrilH]

I recall an episode of Emeril live that featured medieval English cuisine (I remember a turkey leg as big as my forearm being featured). You might try the food network site (FoodTV.com) for recipes from that episode.

[LGBurns]

What a great idea! I don't have any food suggestions, but just wanted to second the idea of making foods from the plays. Next to the food, you could have the quote, character, and name of the play (like lorelei did in her post).

Also, have you heard of the game "Playing Shakespeare"? I don't know if it is available in the states--an old roommate of mine got it in England. it's played in teams--each team pulls a card with a quote on it and one team member has to act it out and the other team members have to guess it. Then I think you get extra points if you can name the play and the character. It's been a while since I played it, but I'm pretty sure that's the gist of it. I am a huge Shakespeare buff--I used to be a Shakespearean actress (never did any big productions but had a lot of fun).

[AD]

I hate to stray too much off-topic. I just thought I would mention that white flour was not normally used before the mid-1800s. Only the very rich and wealthy could afford to hire people to remove the bran. I suppose it would work to represent what royalty ate. At the World's Fair in the 1800s (can't remember particulars), a machine made the process easy, cheap and more common. Whole wheat is all they had, and in very ancient times, they only had barley flour.

[Susann]

Thank you so much for the wonderful suggestion! I think I will try my hand at making jumbles this weekend.

LGBurns-That game sounds great! I will do a search on the internet to see if it is available.

Now I am planning my own costume. I am leaning towards Ophelia, but this is subject to change!

[LGBurns]

Hi Susanne, just wondering how the party turned out. Did you end up coming as Ophelia? (Pre-drowning I hope) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Susann]

The party went well, thanks so much for asking. I ended up taking the easy way out and coming as one of the witches from Macbeth. Many of my students came dressed up and by the end of the day, several 12th graders had sugar rushes due to all the junk we ate in class(including 7 Happy Birthday Shakespeare cakes)! One of our assistant principals even joined us (and recited his favorite quotation. Thankfully, the quote was from Macbeth so my kids were able to identify it). I had every intention of making jumbles for all my students, but had a cold and didn't think the kids would want germy jumbles!! Thanks everyone for all the tips!