What kind of food is at a renaissance faire?

There's never a better time to risk an appearance of gout inspired by Henry VIII than at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, where meat and fatty foods abound. And you can do it on the weekends of April 6 through May 19 at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale. Quail Inn serves Scottish eggs in the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Photo courtesy of Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire).

When you go to a renaissance faire, you should expect a lot of different food and drink options. However, there are some things you should know before going. There are some restrictions regarding what is allowed and what isn't. A good faire has enough variety for most people to find something they like. Just make sure you do your research and choose well.

Oyster sliders

It defies logic to find oyster sliders at a Renaissance Faire. Those little morsels are fried in garlic and butter and served with slices of baguette. They're a $14 treat that's worth paying a little extra for. Be warned, though: oyster sliders at a Renaissance Faire can be a bit messy.

The first step in preparing these delectable snacks is to shuck the oysters. Luckily, shucking is relatively easy. Next, dredge them in cornmeal mixture. After that, season them immediately. Then, slather okra sauce on the bottom and top of each slider bun. Finally, skewer the oysters with a toothpick.

After a long hiatus, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire has shifted to an Irwindale venue, where it has been since 2005. Besides oyster sliders, the fair's biggest seller is turkey legs. Bobby Rinaldo and his wife Leila have been selling food at the faire for 40 years. They became involved after a friend suggested they try selling their goods there.

Three little pigs

The Three Little Pigs are not the only characters to find at a Renaissance Faire. In addition to their colorful costumes, some Renaissance Faire vendors offer delicious food made with local produce. The story of the Three Little Pigs can be told with food and games. Players can try a game that takes them back in time. The Three Little Pigs are often accompanied by a sausage sampler, potato pancake, and potato salad.

In the tale, the three little pigs are sent out into the world by their mother. Each pig builds a house for himself to protect him from the dangers of the world. The Big Bad Wolf symbolizes the dangers in this world, so the pigs build houses to protect themselves from him.

Smoked turkey legs

If you've never had smoked turkey legs at a Renaissance Faire before, you're missing out. These massive pieces of meat are a popular snack at Renaissance festivals and state fairs, and have even made their way onto the menu of many Disney theme parks. They're also delicious when served with a variety of glazes and seasonings.

To prepare the legs, start by brushing them with olive oil and seasoning them with paprika and rub. The rub is primarily for color and crisping the skin. The paprika will add a hammy flavor to the meat. Next, place the turkey legs in a smoker or oven and smoke them for at least three hours. This step is important because the turkey legs are full of connective tissue, and high heat breaks down that tissue, making them more tender.

Mead mixed drinks

Mead is a popular drink for the Renaissance Faire and there are plenty of places to enjoy a mead drink at the fair. The Renaissance Pleasure Faire has eight pubs with mead mixed drinks. A great place to have a mead drink is La Oubliette, a stall near the Fool's Stage. They serve a great drink at a reasonable price.

Mead was a common drink during the Middle Ages and was consumed by medieval royalty and Vikings alike. Today, it is available in many different places, including high-end grocery stores, hip beer bars, and even at your Thanksgiving table.

Additionally, the cure will keep the legs juicy, favorite foods for everyone, chicken chipotle, chicken sandwich, skewered chicken, cheese cake, feta cheese and garlic herb chicken also, broccoli cheese soup and cheese pie, fish or chicken & chips and variety of cheeses, basil sauce, bourbon sauce, peasant bread, and lots of affordable food options, like vegan ice creams, bread with honey and bread pudding.

Welsh cakes

Welsh cakes are a traditional, hand-griddled treat, combining the best aspects of a Pancake, Scone, and Cookie. You can eat them warm or pair them with butter, clotted cream, or lemon curd for a sweet, savory treat. The Welsh cakes can be made up to two months ahead of time and frozen. Once defrosted, they can be toasted in the microwave or toaster.

Welsh cakes are traditionally cooked on a griddle and dusted with sugar. Originally, the cakes were baked over a 'bakestone' over a fire. These delicious treats require only a few pantry staples and can be made quickly. The dough is flavored with raisins, dried fruit, and ground mace, and has a texture somewhere between a scone and a pancake.

Freshly made donuts hot from the fryer. Renaissance fairs are a panoply of delights, and one of the greatest delights is the food of the fair. The sizzle of chicken on skewers grilled in teriyaki sauce. The smell of Turkish coffee served in small cups from the travel cart, frozen lemonade, baked potato, funnel cake, bourbon chicken and chicken wings for example. Also crab cakes, delicious sweets, chicken nuggets, chicken on pita gyros and chicken quedadilla.

The sound of a pickle vendor selling, Green Knights on a stick like beef stew, roasted corn, sour cream and hollandaise sauce. Several of these options are cooked on site, and not all have sauces (which can be high in carbohydrates) applied ahead of time. Ask if you can put the steak on a stick without teriyaki glaze, or order the sauté, hold the rice. Scoops on Tap offers premium ice cream, including some infused with craft beer, at the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire.

Food constraints are rarely easy to resolve in any situation, and the Renaissance fair is no exception. Vegetable pies were among the Celtic empanadas served at MacManley Brothers at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, fresh fruit and scotch egg, pork sandwiches and pork chop, hot chocolate. Woosley, playing Mrs. Magda Reinhold, eats a Celtic MacManley Brothers Pie Company turnover during opening day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope Estate & Winery, north of Manheim, on Saturday.

Khari Evans, left, of Philadelphia, and Madison Washington, Vallejo, California, eat the popular turkey leg of Six Knights Cock & Bull Tavern during opening day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope Estate & Winery north of Manheim on Saturday. Sure, there's jousting and cosplay, but one big reason you go to the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire is to eat. Laura Wohlfeil takes advantage of a hard vanilla and peach cider from Lancaster County Cider during opening day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope Estate & Winery in August. Tatyana Zvorsky from Lebanon serves a pickle at the Wicked Pickle booth at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair.

Deirdre Edwards from Columbia, South Carolina, eats a garlicky pickle on Saturday at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Honey cinnamon fried bread is one of the treats you can get at the Pan Campesino stand at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair. These are the popular Scotch Eggs (hard-boiled, sausage-wrapped and fried eggs) from the Public House at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair. Glenside's Sandi Thomas beats the heat with some ice cream at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair on Saturday.

Woosley, playing kampfrau Magda Reinhold, eats a Celtic change from MacManley Brothers Pie Company on Saturday at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. The facilities of a Renaissance fair are not kosher in the strictest sense, since they have no separate facilities or pots for cooking meat and milk, nor are they blessed by a rabbi. A Renaissance fair tends to be light on vegetables and fruits, and has a lot of carbohydrate-based offerings.