Dairy and poultry, for the most part, had less strongly tied political and national associations than did beef and fish. However, it is still important to track how these more “stable” foods changed in consumption throughout the year. Although these foods were considered to be more consistent and less politically malleable, there are some interesting anomalies that occur that deserve exploration both in the project and by other food historians.
One thing that is particularly striking is that dairy consumption shows a stark increase in the month of March. While difficult to confirm, it is plausible that this is a response to the dramatic decrease in beef consumption, as products like butter had a dense caloric content that was vital for sustenance during this period. However, this is also an important discovery because it displays that cattle were present during the month of March, ruling out a decrease in their presence as a reason for the stark decline in beef consumption. This leaves two prominent (though not the only) theories as to why beef consumption declined so strongly in March: it was a period in the agricultural cycle that benefitted from an abundance of cattle or the Protestant English, despite their protests, were participating in Catholic Lenten fasting practices.
What is also particularly curious is that, unlike any other food, poultry shows a dramatic increase in consumption in April. This will require further research as the project develops, but given poultry’s relative lack of religious and social significance, a likely explanation is that this was a period of time in the agricultural cycle in which these products were in abundance.