The Schoolemaster, or Teacher of Table Philosophie
- Year
- 1583
- Era
- 16th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English pre-1800
The Schoolemaster, or Teacher of Table Philosophie, first issued in 1583, is an Elizabethan treatise that combines instruction on food and diet with discourse on the manners proper to the table. Drawing on the humanist tradition of moralised dining, it situates eating within a broader ethical and social framework, and stands as an early English contribution to the literature of civility, dietary counsel, and conversational decorum at meals.
Cooking from this book
Sallet of Herbes
Signature dishA modest dish of fresh garden herbs and leaves dressed simply, the sallet stands as a fitting emblem for this Elizabethan volume. More a moral exemplar than a feast, it captures the book's twin concerns of wholesome diet and seemly conduct, the kind of light, temperate fare a thoughtful host might set before guests while steering conversation toward improving topics. It speaks to an age when what one ate and how one behaved at table were inseparable lessons.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
