At the court of an English queen in the late 16th century, meals did not follow the starter-main-dessert order but unfolded in 'messes': a first course laden with roasted meats, pottages, and pies, then a lighter second course of poultry, fish, and fine dishes. Everything ended with the 'banquet' (banketting stuff), a separate course sometimes served in a different room, consisting solely of sweets: sculpted marchpane, comfits, candied fruits, and spiced wines. Drinking and eating sweet things at the end of service signaled rank and wealth.

Imported at great cost by maritime trade, sugar was ostentation made edible at the Elizabethan court: it was sculpted, spiced, and used to coat seeds. Elizabeth was so fond of it that her teeth turned black — a detail foreign travelers recorded with astonishment. It is the common thread linking the banquet, the drink, and the remedy.