SC - Re: Elizabeth I - Masque at Hatfield

[Elise Fleming]

Tipperith wrote:

>"During the evening in the hall, the company enjoyed a banquet of 
>seventy dishes, and 'after, a voidee of spices and subtleties, with 30 
>plates'." (I believe the writer is quoting Sir Thomas.)
>What is a 'voidee of spices and subtleties'?

A "voidee" is another term for our dessert course.  It can also be 
called the "banquet".  It comes from French and refers to voiding (or 
clearing) the table.  After the main meal, the food was cleared.  Then 
the candied spices and sweet dishes were brought out.  Frequently this 
was served in a different room to allow the servants to get everything 
cleared up.  In later Tudor and Stuart times, banqueting houses became 
quite the rage.

>What about the comment about 'with 30 plates'? 

I would assume this would be thirty different types of "desserts".  
BTW, all sorts of spices would/could be candied.  Murrell (I believe) 
and Markham have a list of things for the "banquet" and spices such as 
cubebs, cinnamon, etc. were listed.  The harder spices would be soaked 
in wine or vinegar to help soften them.  Then they would be "done up" 
in a sugar syrup and coated with sugar for a "comfit".

Alys Katharine
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