Although the United Kingdom faced many health trials, could it be that Victorian society enjoyed a healthier way of life than ours? This question is worth dwelling on with the curiosity of a Baker Street detective.
Many dreamers fantasize about a time journey back to the glorious era of Charles Dickens, to see with their own eyes how the characters from our history books truly lived. Recently, we have been returning to the roots of the steampunk movement, that fascinating Victorian Empire whose reign of Victoria extended from 1837 to 1901. Having explored how steampunk draws inspiration from the Victorian era and discovered the festive traditions of Christmases past, let us now dive into the mysteries of Victorian gastronomy.
Certainly, medicine and sanitary standards were far less developed than today. The epidemic that ravaged the East End of London in the mid-Victorian era remains in memory as one of the darkest moments of that period. In those troubled times, the inhabitants of the slums rarely had access to ovens or cooking utensils. Many did not even possess plates or cutlery. Their daily diet consisted primarily of bread, porridge and broth. It is hardly surprising, then, that underprivileged children were undernourished, anaemic, rachitic and small in stature.
A comparative study on the varying statures of young Victorians, depending on their social class and income — entitled "On British Pygmies and Giants" — makes particularly illuminating reading for an industrial power of that rank. This research revealed that young recruits to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, drawn largely from the middle or upper class, were among the tallest young men in the world at the time, averaging nearly 175 cm in height.
By contrast, 16-year-old boys from the slums, recruited by the Marine Society (a charitable organization created to provide the navy with a regular supply of manpower), were 22 cm shorter. For those who did not belong to the underclass, the situation was far more favorable. In a certain sense, the English of the Industrial Revolution enjoyed a healthier diet than ours, as they consumed foods far richer in nutrients and ingested considerably less sugar and processed products.
Dietary Habits of the Victorian Period
Table of Victorian-Era Foods
| Category | Examples | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Stone-ground bread, lard, watercress, cold meats, cheese | Nutrient-rich meals, often accompanied by vegetables and healthy fats, sometimes with beer. |
| Vegetables | Onions, cabbage, leeks, carrots, turnips | Abundantly available at markets, consumed in large quantities. |
| Fruit | Apples, cherries | Apples in winter and cherries in summer, fruit was consumed according to the season. |
| Nuts | Chestnuts, hazelnuts | Fiber-rich nuts, often roasted and sold in the street. |
| Meats | Mutton, oily fish (herrings, sprats), seafood | Meat was expensive, so fish and seafood were common omega-3-rich alternatives. |
| Soups and stews | Brown Windsor Soup, vegetable soups, meat stews | Consumed primarily in autumn and winter. |
| Beverages | Tea, saloop | Tea was widely consumed, while saloop, a hot sweetened drink, was very popular. |
| Desserts | Cherries Jubilee | An elaborate dessert for celebrations, made with eggs, sugar and lemon juice. |
| Specialties | Kedgeree, Jellied Eels, Marrow Toast, Cold Boiled Turkey in Jelly | Distinctive dishes such as kedgeree inspired by colonial India, jellied eels and boiled turkey. |
| Festive meals | Sunday lunch | Traditionally consisting of roast meat, vegetables and potatoes, enjoyed with family. |
The Railway Revolution and Food
- In the Victorian era, the growth of the railway network allowed food produce to be transported far more easily from the countryside to urban markets, considerably improving the quality and variety of available products.
- A typical breakfast might consist of stone-ground bread spread with a drizzle of lard (composed largely of beneficial monounsaturated fats), accompanied by a generous bunch of watercress, rich in vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. The wealthier classes were accustomed to starting the day with cold meats, cheese and beer, in their sumptuous Victorian homes.
- Markets were well stocked with cheap seasonal vegetables, especially onions, cabbage, leeks, carrots and turnips. The main fruits were apples in winter and cherries in summer.
- Victorians also consumed large quantities of healthy, fiber-rich nuts, such as chestnuts and hazelnuts, often roasted and purchased from street vendors.
- Afternoon tea was generally served in all respectable households, particularly those of the better-off class. In summer, lighter dishes and chicken were favored. During winter and autumn, soups and stews held sway at the table.
- Meat remained relatively expensive, although one could buy a sheep's head for approximately 3 pence (£2.50 in modern currency). Instead, Victorians consumed large quantities of omega-3-rich oily fish. Herrings, sprats, eels, oysters, mussels, cockles and whelks were all popular, as were cod and haddock.
According to a study published in the Royal Society of Medicine, entitled "How the mid-Victorians worked, ate and died," the combination of considerable physical activity (most people did physically demanding work, meaning they were active for 50 to 60 hours a week) and a rich diet of fruit, whole grains, oily fish and vegetables meant that Victorians suffered far less than we do from chronic and degenerative diseases.
Dr Paul Clayton, one of the authors of this remarkable study, states that they had "90% less chance of developing cancer, dementia or coronary heart disease than we do today." This certainly meant that conditions such as type 2 diabetes, rampant in our modern society, were virtually non-existent in this fascinating era that so greatly inspires our steampunk aesthetic.
The Victorian England Diet
Although they consumed far more calories than we do, due to their intense physical activity, obese Victorians remained relatively rare. William Banting, a Victorian undertaker, was a notable exception. He was apparently so corpulent that he had to descend stairs backwards. His family ran the undertaking firm for the Royal Household, having supervised the funerals of the Duke of Wellington, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria herself.
William Banting is nonetheless best known for being the first to popularize a low-carbohydrate diet. In a pamphlet he self-published in 1863, "A Letter on Corpulence," he describes how he lost over 18 kg in a few months by eliminating foods such as bread, sugar, beer and potatoes. Despite a dismissive response from the medical establishment, his modest booklet became a bestseller and "to bant" entered popular usage as a term for dieting. One of Banting's descendants, Sir Frederick Banting, would later win the Nobel Prize for being the first to use insulin in the treatment of diabetes.
Victorian Culinary Innovations
Famous Chefs
Throughout the 19th century, French cuisine held sway over the finest tables. Its dominance was encouraged by the works of famous chefs, the most illustrious of whom remains Marie-Antoine Carême (1783–1833). His book "L'Art de la cuisine française," translated into English in 1836, was highly influential. Such works undoubtedly influenced the cuisine served in the great Victorian country houses such as Witley Court in Worcestershire and Audley End in Essex.
Middle-class households also turned to books for guidance. The most remarkable is Isabella Beeton's "The Book of Household Management" (1861), which innovatively specifies exact quantities and precise cooking times. A true revolution for the era, worthy of the innovations described by Jules Verne in his novels of anticipation.
The Modern Breakfast
Over time, breakfast foods were replaced by porridge, fish, eggs and bacon — the famous "full English." Toward the end of the 19th century, however, this relatively healthy start to the day was called into question by manufacturers of sweetened breakfast cereals, whose pioneers included figures such as Dr John Harvey Kellogg. This was the tipping point toward the modern world that preferred to feed its population at minimum cost, despite the devastating effects on health.
Dr Kellogg, who held singular views on sex and eugenics, is said to have invented Corn Flakes as part of his health regimen aimed at preventing masturbation, a subject that obsessed him completely. He was convinced that replacing meat and eggs with bland foods, such as corn flakes, would reduce the excitement of young men. He also recommended a daily enema.
Sunday Lunch
For many Victorians, Sunday was the only day of rest available (a 12-hour working day, six days a week, was common). It was also the only day on which they consumed meat. This is how the custom arose of purchasing a small joint of beef, pork or mutton to share with the family, accompanied by an abundance of vegetables, potatoes and gravy. If one could not afford a roast, there were always offal, such as liver, tongue or heart.
The Three-Course Dinner
The Victorian era saw the introduction of two or three-course meals, with dishes arriving in sequence, one at a time. Previously, dishes had tended to arrive all at once. Queen Victoria, who was somewhat gluttonous, was capable of devouring seven courses in under half an hour. Since everyone was served after the Queen, and once she had finished all the dishes were cleared, there was a good chance of leaving one of her magnificent banquets on an empty stomach.
The Culinary Specialties of the Era
Marrow Toast
Yes, bone marrow. Marrow toast was said to be one of Queen Victoria's favorite dishes, according to her former chef Charles Francatelli, who included the recipe in his 1861 work "The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant."
Kedgeree
A product of England's colonization of India, curry-flavored foods were gaining popularity among the Victorians. Kedgeree is essentially the British version of khichdi, an Indian dish composed of spiced rice and lentils, reflecting the influence of the British Empire on gastronomy.
Brown Windsor Soup
This was the favorite soup of the Victorian era in England. Royalty, the middle classes and the working classes all savored it with relish. According to the "The Foods of England" project, Brown Windsor Soup was known as "the very soup that is reputed to have built the British Empire."
With such a popular dish, one might think it is made from the finest ingredients. In reality, it is composed of beef sauce, malt vinegar, pepper, dried black fruits such as dates and figs, and an optional splash of warm Madeira wine. It sounds rather like mud to our modern palates. But then, if it was good enough for the Queen...
Jellied Eels
Jellied eels originate from the East End of London, that quarter of a thousand mysteries that could have inspired the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The dish was prepared with chopped eels, boiled in a broth. The mixture was left to cool, which caused the fats to set and congeal into a jelly. It was served cold. They can still be found in certain parts of London and some consider them a delicacy.
Cold Boiled Turkey in Sauce
This "turkey galantine," prepared in England, bears no resemblance to the traditional American roast turkey served at Thanksgiving. This Victorian turkey recipe, from Mrs Crocombe's recipe book dating from the 1880s, calls for a whole turkey, deboned and stuffed with sausage and pistachios, to be wrapped, boiled in a broth and served cold, in jelly and coated in a kind of mayonnaise.
Saloop
Hot drinks were very popular in a world where it was often hazardous to drink unboiled water. Saloop had been enjoyed since the 1600s. It was a hot, supposedly nutritious and heavily sweetened drink, made from ground orchid roots. Toward the end of the 19th century, the base of the drink was replaced by sassafras bark, flavored with milk and sugar. Whatever the case, saloop was considered a delightful drink for starting or ending the day. With any luck, the drink was prepared with the appropriate roots or bark, and not with used tea leaves retrieved from a rubbish heap.
Cherries Jubilee
A dessert invented to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. This fanciful dessert contains ingredients such as 5 eggs, sugar, lemon juice, flour, salt and other refinements. Cooking was a lengthy process in Victorian England, so this dessert was truly intended for the upper class — those who could afford magnificent jewelry and sumptuous Victorian costumes.
None of this sounds necessarily unpleasant, but it is certainly different from what we are now accustomed to. These Victorian culinary traditions continue to fuel our fascination with that era, just as the accessories and steampunk decoration perpetuate the aesthetic of this remarkable period.
Thank you for reading, dear steampunk fans. I hope to have allowed you to discover a little more about the Victorian era and its culinary mysteries. Until next time, for another article on the fascinating steampunk universe and its retro-futuristic wonders.