Food In The Victorian Era

Food is always an extremely important factor that brings influence to people’s life in diverse ways from the old times to the present. Although it carries the same significance through the whole development of civilization, the English cuisine in Medieval time is very different from it is in modern time. The Medieval cuisine, including the foods, eating habits, food preservation, and seasoning, in England had been hugely affected by the social and political background during the Medieval Age.

The food was not the same for everyone. The rich people had really good food but it was a different story for the poor people. Poor people did not have good and sometimes it was the left overs from the rich people. Food was fancy like their life.

The Victorian era identified four classes as a part and parcel of their social structure; the Nobility and Gentry, Middle Class, Upper Working Class and Lower Working Class. People in the respective categories were expected to remain within their class and any slight change from one class to another was considered to be a serious offence. In all these categories, the role of the women remained unchanged. They were supposed to live a highly restrictive life with their life centered around their husband and subsequently their children.

Breakfast wasn’t as important as lunch and dinner nor was it a sit-down meal. Lunch was around 11 and supper was eaten somewhere between 6-9 (Singman 132). Foods varied depending on where you lived in England. Bread, cheese, and butter were very common. Fish was a heavy part of their diet for a source of protein as well. Vegetables and fruits like apricots and cabbages were also popular (Forgeng 167). Since the water system had many problems, people preferred brewed drinks over water. Ale, which consisted of water, and spices, was a very common drink. Beer was popular in cities like London(170). When it came to cooking food, it depended on the type of kitchen utensils you had. Fire was required for boiling, roasting, or baking food. Women had to use pots with legs for most of the meals. Utensils were made from clay, iron, or copper (169). Food was a way to bring the family together after a long day of school, work, or labor.

Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, English Protestants established a group referred to as the Puritans. The Puritans were resistant to bold flavors and intense ingredients, such as garlic, for these had “Catholic Continental political references”. This led to a distinguishable description of English cooking. (Amelia Meyers) Puritan meals and meal times are different from what we know today. Although the English from this time ate most of the same foods that we eat today, their selection was quite divergent from ours. In fact, citizens back then had an abnormal idea of what foods were healthy for them (Plimoth.org). The Puritans had several meal responsibilities; women were in charge of meal planning, and food preservation

Summary: This website tells the history of food at the time of the Elizabethan Era.Poor people had unvaried diets consisting largely of bread, fish, cheese and ale, but the rich of Elizabethan England ate well.All kinds of meats were served to the rich people of Elizabethan England.Vegetables and fruits were regarded with some suspicion and was far more common for roasted and boiled meat to be accompanied with bread.Tudors were fond of desserts.Sometimes wine glasses, dishes, playing cards and trenchers were made out of a crisp modeled sugar called sugar-plate which would be elaborately decorated.

Gentry and rich folks ate “brown meats” like: beef, venison, mutton, and pork. Poor also ate a lot more vegetables than the rich they could make it just fine without fancy dishes eaten by their richer social class. Nutritionists today would appreciate the peasant’s simple diet.

The common person usually ate “white meat” that contained precious little meat, made of things like, milk cheese, butter, eggs, bread, and pottages. These were sometimes derivative of fish, rabbit, or bird. Killing larger game in the forest was considered poaching and was very dangerous. Gentry and rich folks ate “brown meats” like: beef, venison, mutton, and pork. The poor also ate a lot more vegetables than the rich that insisted on eating only greens that were fancily prepared. Peasants had easy access to beef, pork, and other high-end meats, but they couldn’t afford to keep a lot of it for their personal meals. They could make it just fine without fancy dishes eaten by their richer social class. Nutritionists today would appreciate the peasant’s simple

The diet between the upper and lower class differed in what they could afford. The upper class citizens of the Elizabethan era ate lavishly and extravagantly. As they could afford the spices from Asia and the freshest meat on the market. While the lower class citizens ate poorly. The lower class diet consisted of many vegetables and fruits with meat as a rare luxury. Vegetables were seen as unfit for the wealthy because they came from the ground. While the diets of the upper classes seem to be very different from those of the lower classes, there are many similarities that can be

Refreshments and foods during the 1920s were the heart of the parties during this time. Without good refreshments and foods a party was not complete. Things that I will touch on include prohibition, how prohibition affected refreshments, things caused from prohibition, 1920s foods, refreshments, and cocktails. These things together were the main parts involving around refreshments and foods during the 1920s. Nevertheless, I will start on the igniter that created a lot of attention around refreshments, which is Prohibition.

Food is a staple in life. Everyone needs it, but not everyone gets what they want from it. In England during the Elizabethan Era there was a variety of foods. There were many imported foods and spices but a great deal of people never had the chance to try those amazing foods, except for the rich people. In the Elizabethan time period, the food eaten by the different classes, at feasts, and the ingredients used, played a major role in the civilization of England.

Food of the Elizabethan Time People’s food of the Elizabethan time period depended on their social status and their financial abilities while malnutrition, diseases, and deficiencies made it harder for them to find food. The rich and the poor both had high risks of deficiencies because of the lack of sanitary foods and places and lack of nutrients. The food consumed varied depending on wealth and social class. In the Medieval period meat was a sign of wealth which carried over into the Elizabethan era. New inventions and the rapidly growing industries contributed into the new food of this time.

The difference would be that there has been a complete turn in the way of eating than it was back in the 70’s. In the 70’s there was homecooked meals on the table everyday. Families would actually sit around the table and have a conversation about their days, that allowed people to eat slower and to get full faster. In today’s society there is electronics and more ways of distraction that take away from the socializing time around the table. There is also other factors that have made a difference in being able to have a sit-down, home cooked meal everyday.

It is also interesting to note the striking similarity to the peasant diets of old, but with substantially more meat. Other than quantity and quality, many of the vegetables remained with the addition of corn. Other than ketchup and how people created food, many of the dishes were copies of the old ones. There is a whole chapter about kasha and there is not much new about what the finished product would be: either sweet or savory with animal fats. Bread is expected at every meal.42 The dishes in the book that were actually available were disturbingly similar to what the peasants of old Russia ate

During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, she was served many types of food; However, one of her most favorite dishes was meat. She described meat as a tender dinner dish. Queen Elizabeth also was more of a quick bite type queen. She watch performers perform and takes small bites of food as she watched. Queen Elizabeth liked meat for different occasions, such as big events that were going on in the kingdom. The seasoning on the meat, I’m thinking, was one of the toppings that caught her taste buds quicker than any other food she ate.