What did a Victorian child eat?

In the Victorian period, babies were fed broth, milk and diluted wine in special baby feeders. Toddlers were given posset, a warm milk drink believed to have medicinal properties. Diluted wine or ale added to the milk made it curdle, while lemon juice, sugar and cream gave it flavour.

What did lower class Victorians eat?

For the poorest a sandwich of bread and watercress was the most common. At the start of the week, porridge made with water might be possible. Lunch involved bread, combined with cheese if possible or more watercress. At the start of the week, soup could occasionally be bought as cheap street food.

What were popular foods in the Victorian era?

Meat was often roasted and served with vegetables and bread. Victorians loved gravy and Yorkshire puddings too! Dessert was treated as another opportunity to flaunt wealth, with imported fruits included in fancy, French-inspired desserts.

What did Victorians eat as snacks?

According to Mrs Beeton's book, baskets would often be filled to the brim with fruit turnovers, cheesecakes, 'cabinet' or sweet steamed puddings, blancmanges and jam puffs.

What did the average Victorian eat?

Many Victorian meals were served at home as a family, prepared by cooks and servants who had studied French and Italian cookbooks. Middle and upper class breakfasts typically consisted of porridge, eggs, fish and bacon. They were eaten together as a family. Sunday lunches included meat, potatoes, vegetables and gravy.

I tried eating like a Victorian Child

What was the life expectancy of a poor Victorian child?

“Life expectancy at birth for the average Victorian was about 42, and more than 25 per cent of children died before their fifth birthday. Disease was rife – there were four major outbreaks of cholera alone between 1832 and 1866.

What era had the healthiest diet?

As she trawled through her large collection of Victorian novels, magazines, recipe books, workhouse records, 'moral tales' and assorted literature, Dr Rowbotham noticed evidence that, far from being unhealthy, the mid-Victorian working-class diet was not only far more nutritious than ours, but also that its emphasis on ...

What did rich Victorian children eat for breakfast?

The meals for rich families were prepared and cooked by the servants in the kitchen. Food was cooked on a range and was served to the family in the dining room. Breakfast tended to be a large meal and would have included ham, eggs, bacon, bread and fish.

What did the Victorians drink?

Fortified wines such as port, sherry, Madeira were far more popular then than today. London Dry Gin mixed as a G&T or a Gin Sling were popular in the officers' mess especially overseas. The Victorians also mixed other drinks eg brandy and soda or hock and seltzer or a sherry cobbler.

What sweets did Victorians eat?

Pear Drops, Sherbet Lemons, Cough Candy, Rhubarb and Custard, Aniseed Twists, Marshmallows, Candy Floss, Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums – all originated from the Victorian period. The Victorian sweets with the most interesting back story are Liquorice Allsorts 'created' in 1899.

What would Victorians eat for lunch?

You could afford a street-food lunch: perhaps a watercress and cheese sandwich, thick vegetable soup, meat pie, fried fish or fruit. Dinner might be fish (especially on Friday), a curry with leftover meat from a Sunday roast or a kind of meat pudding. There was always fish on Sunday.

What time did Victorians eat dinner?

This pattern also persisted despite the shift in meal times among elites." Breakfast 8AM; Lunch/upper classes or Dinner/rest Midday-1PM; Afternoon tea 4PM; High tea 5-6PM; Dinner 7-8PM; Supper 9-10PM.

What kind of meat did Victorians eat?

The most commonly eaten meat was pork. Poorer people ate the shin and cheek as these could be stewed with vegetables. Richer people could afford pork chops or a whole pork joint for Sunday lunch. Later in the Victorian era, bacon became a popular choice at breakfast eaten alongside kippers, eggs and porridge.

What meat did poor Victorians eat?

Meat was pretty expensive during the Victorian Era, but besides beans and eggs, it was the most readily available protein. Poor families who couldn't afford better cuts of meat bought broxy from a butcher instead. Broxy was a butcher's term for any kind of meat, usually sheep, that had dropped dead of disease.

What fruit did Victorians eat?

The main fruits were apples in the winter and cherries in the summer. The Victorians also ate lots of healthy, fibre-rich nuts, such as chestnuts and hazelnuts, which were often roasted and bought from street-corner sellers.

What food did Victorians eat at Christmas?

Most Victorian families had roast goose for their Christmas dinner, wealthy families ate beef, venison and turkey, often served with a chestnut or veal forcemeat stuffing.

What was the life expectancy in the Victorian times?

Although Victorians who attained adulthood could expect to live into old age, average life expectancy at birth was low: in 1850 it was 40 for men and 42 for women. By 1900 it was 45 for men and 50 for women.

What was the life expectancy in the Victorian era?

life expectancy in the mid-Victorian period was not markedly different from what it is today. Once infant mortality is stripped out, life expectancy at 5 years was 75 for men and 73 for women.

What was the most common cause of death in the Victorian era?

Infection including TB and other lung infections such as pneumonia; epidemics (scarlet fever, smallpox, influenza, typhoid, cholera etc), with spread often linked to poor sanitation: and the sexually transmitted diseases. Accidents/trauma linked to work place and domestic conditions.

Was there obesity in the Victorian era?

In the early decades of the 19th century excess body weight, usually called “corpulence” or, more politely, “superfluous flesh,” was never considered a health problem, since most Detroiters labored endless hours on farms and were more apt to lose weight than “put on flesh.”

What did Victorians do for fun?

During the Victorian era there were many changes to how people lived, and the ways they spent their spare time. The Victorians enjoyed listening to brass bands and attending 'spectacles'. These shows included hypnotism or even communication with the dead using mediums!

What did poor Victorians eat for lunch?

Poor families ate more carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes and porridge oats, as these were cheaper and more filling. Bread with lard or dripping spread across it was a staple meal. Seasonal vegetables were also a large part of their diets.

How many calories did people eat in Victorian times?

Men could consume upwards of 5,000 calories on a workday, and women over 3,000. The sheer quantity of food they ate, combined with its superior quality, resulted in average micronutrient levels 10 times higher than those of modern diets.

What are humans supposed to eat naturally?

Although many humans choose to eat both plants and meat, earning us the dubious title of “omnivore,” we're anatomically herbivorous. The good news is that if you want to eat like our ancestors, you still can: Nuts, vegetables, fruit, and legumes are the basis of a healthy vegan lifestyle.

What diet fad was popular during the Victorian era?

The Chew and Spit Diet

The diet – if you can call it that – was popularised by Horace Fletcher in the Victorian era. Fletcher, also known as the Great Masticator, was an art dealer.