I don’t like marzipan-and the black pudding doesn’t sound appetizing-but I’d choose any of those banquet items over a fast food burger, KFC, mac-and-cheese, etc-at least the banquet food is organic, unprocessed and fresh-just add some steamed veggies and/or a salad and I’ll be there...
I like cookbooks, and have several-one was a present from my mom-”Cooking Through the Ages”-it has recipes back to the time of the Roman Empire-like honeyed dormice-gah! Some of the food prep instructions are interesting, too-like take chickens and ram them together, hew them to gobbets, etc...
Food in Antiquity: A Survey of the Diet of Early Peoples
(Part of the Ancient Peoples and Places Series)
by Don Brothwell and Patricia Brothwell
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/food-in-antiquity-a-survey-of-the-diet-of-early-peoples_patricia-brothwell_don-brothwell/1463594/
(with a name like Brothwell, it’s gotta be good ;^)