Seagulls at the Dinner Table

Seagulls were a delicacy in England in the 1550s!

We all have seen seagulls when we go to the beach. However, did you know that seagulls were once a delicacy in the 1550s in England? Seagulls were one of the most expensive delicacies in England in the 1550s. They were called ‘mews’. The seagulls were fed salted beef, from the time when they were captured, to when they were slaughtered to make their meat tastier.

In the 1500s the number of food courses you ate were based on your rank!

In 1517 a law was passed by the Crown, which stated that the number of courses you consumed in a meal were based on your rank! Cardinals were permitted 9 courses; dukes, archbishops, marquesses, earls and bishops were permitted 7; mayors of the City of London, lords, knights of the garter (a position given to the citizens of England for services to the country) and abbots (head of a Christian monastery) were permitted 6. People whose income was less than £100 but more than £40 were permitted 3 courses.