The basic English person's diet in medieval times was made up of bread, cheese and beef, while ale was the drink for all ages and social classes except for the aristocracy, who drank wine. In winter there were no root crops to feed the animals, so they were killed in autumn and the meat salted to preserve it. People kept livestock even in the towns: cows were usually kept tied or tethered, but pigs were allowed to wander at will, feeding on the rubbish off the streets. By the 16'11 century, however, choice in foodstuffs had grown, including exotic spices to add flavor to the usual diet. This had come about because European rulers wanting to increase their power and wealth and also, in fairness, in the spirit of enquiry and the quest for knowledge, had financed voyages of exploration overseas. This opened up trade routes, bringing precious spices – and vast profits - from the East, and to the west Spanish and Portuguese explorers had brought back such novelties as potatoes, tomatoes, maize, peppers and chocolate. It must be said, though , that it took people some time to accept some of these new foods, as they feared they were poisonous.