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• 1 2020-11-17T13:06:08-08:00 Victorian Era Cooking 11 plain 1036674 2020-12-10T20:33:35-08:00 Victorian Era cooking holds a plethora of historical significance. Although Victorians placed a high value on all-things-culinary, there were undeniably significant differences in food and cooking based on economic class division. Much like modern-day cuisine, cooking in the Victorian Era represented levels of the class system; there were several foods and ingredients associated with various socioeconomic classes. Lower class Victorians' cuisine was mostly limited to soups made with onions, butter, meat, and cheese, and dry bread with butter. Middle Class Victorians had a diet generally consisting of foods like potatoes, fish, eggs, vegetables, porridge, and gravy. On the contrary, upper class Victorian cuisine was shaped to exhibit wealth and fruitfulness; rich Victorians would often host lavish dinner parties and make an arguably unnecessary abundance of traditionally opulent dishes as a means to display their social and economic class. Meal times were essentially upper class Victorians' chance to display their wealth—some Victorians even employed French chefs to create ornate dishes for guests. 
  
  During the Victorian Era, there were also industrial and inventive progressions and improvement, which can be seen in the evolution of ovens and closed cooking ranges in nineteenth century England. There were new improvements in food storage, utensils and gadgets, and the earliest refrigerators became commonly used. These industrial and inventive introductions put an even more significant emphasis on the importance of cooking and food; however, again, these advancements really only benefitted the wealthy and upper-middle class Victorians. 
  
  Another interesting aspect of Victorian Era cooking and home remedies is the extensive yet remarkably casual use of opium. In nineteenth century Britain, opium was like aspirin for Victorians. It was used frequently and without restriction, and was sold at any corner shop. Although eventual restriction occurred, it was still viewed as a non-threatening, effective product to use in home remedies and recipes. 
  
  Overall, the most notable and imperative aspect of understanding the culinary history of the Victorian Era is understanding the class system that existed in nineteenth century England. Socioeconomic class was the main determinant of each household's emphasis on the relevancy of cooking and food as more of an event than a means of sustainability. 
  
  

   For information on some significant recipes in Victorian cooking, see
  https://britishfoodhistory.com/tag/victorian-era/.