[Sca-cooks] 100 Mile Feast

[Daniel Phelps]

Good Gentles:

For what it is worth in furtherance of this discussion I was just reading Cheyney's "A History of England, From the Defeat of the Armada to the Death of Elizabeth" Vol. 1.  In the chapter titled "The Seizure of Contraband" it is cited that on the 27th of July (1588) the council issued from the court at Nonesuch a formal "order and decree" for the forfeiture of goods seized on certain neutral German ships bound for Spain. Under "Victual" are listed "Bacon, Corne, Wheate, Barley, Meale, Beanes, Peason and such lyke."  Such would suggest to me some of the more common bulk commodities in trade which were shipped long distances by sea in the last quarter of the 16th century.   If I might inquire:
Would Peason be peas?  
What is the consensus regarding what grain is ground for "Meale" in this reference?

Daniel