Victorian Foods
By Madison, Selena and Ileana.
What does Social Class have to do with it?
There were specifically three different classes among the Victorian era. This consisted of low, middle or high class. Rich Victorian children ate well, where the poor had little to choose from. Rich children had the luxury of eating large amounts of food while the poor were limited to only a certain amount of meals at at time. People of the working class ate very little, sometimes only receiving meat a couple times a week. A typical middle class breakfast consisted of bacon, eggs, ham, haddock, coffee, fruits and bread.
Some Popular Foods of the Victorian Diet
Beef, mutton, pork, bacon, cheese, eggs, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, milk, vegetables in season, flour, sugar, treacle, jam and tea.
10 Facts About Victorian Foods
1. The Victorians valued good food and cooking.
2. The diet of people who couldn't afford much was rather terrible.
3. Those who were employed with good wages and those who worked on a farm ate a better, more expensive diet.
4. Wealth could be displayed during meal times. For example, the certain plates that were used when eating could represent how much money that certain family had.
5. Breakfast was considered an essential meal of the day.
6. Victorians first invented afternoon tea.
7. The menu of Victorian foods didn't vary much, it was usually the same foods every week.
8. Towards the end of the Victorian era, fish and chips became relatively popular.
9. Ranges and ovens were improved over time.
10. This era was the first to use tinned food.
How Was The Food Stored in this Era?
As we all know, refrigeration was not an option back in this time period. Therefore, people of the Victorian era mostly relied on food from local markets and fresh stores such as butchers. They also relied on what was pickled or reserved. But later on as things progressed, railways were invented and caused food like meat and fish to be imported cheaply while being refrigerated at the same time.
A Closer Look of Specific Foods in the Victorian Era
Saloop
This a hot drink made from either ground orchid roots or a base of sassafras. It has been popular since the 1600s and has been used for medicinal purposes because of its nutritional value and heavily sweet status.
Bloater
This was a food that was very common during this time period. The bloated herring was a street food and had a gamey flavour. It was typically served on a long fork and toasted, eaten whole sometimes including the head and eyeballs.
Calves' foot jelly
Resembling aspic, this disturbing looking food was made with calf's head and calf's feet boiled for a long time and strained till completion. Jelly is mixed together with calf's brains and the mix is poured into a mold like form. It is later refrigerated long enough to be able to slice it.