Exporter Entry #4: Victorian Food/Diet

As an exporter, I travel to many different places. In each  place there is something different, something new. Recently, I have been very interested in the different foods and how various ingredients are used to make food. However, my favorite foods are right here at home, in England. 

For breakfast, I eat a vary of different foods as do other wealthy merchants. We eat a vary of different things in the morning from bacon and eggs to fruit, haddock, and coffee. We enjoy coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon.

Some of the more poor people survive off drippings, bread (probably stale), and a small variety of vegetables, with a small bit of tea. They do not have many luxuries like the wealthier people; they typically eat bland foods. Potatoes and rotten vegetables is a usual daily meal.

This is an example of a common meal that would be easy to acquire for the poor.

Wealthier people, like me, can have meat and cheese daily for dinner, sometimes even bacon at dinner, too! I love bacon as I'm sure you can tell. On average, I have a large breakfast, a lighter lunch, and a very late dinner/supper. In order to fill the gap in the afternoon we have tea, which is my favorite time of the day. My friends and I always come together and drink tea together, relaxing and having a good time.

One of my favorite recipes is one my mother used to make me when I was younger. It is from Fannie Farmer Cook Book 1896. She made Pork Chops with Fried Apples. First she would wipe off the pork chops, then she would swiftly and fluidly sprinkle them with salt and pepper. She looked so graceful when she did so. Although my sister was the one who helped with the cooking, I enjoyed watching. Then she would cook them slowly until they were tender and brown on both sides in a hot frying-pan. After the pork chops were removed and arranged on the plates she would fry the apples in the remaining fat from the pork. The apples were then placed on the plate with the pork chops. It was simple, but it tasted wonderful; apples soon became my favorite fruit, even when they weren't fried in deliciousness.

Although I prefer finer foods, I also enjoy what the street vendors sell. It is sort of a guilty pleasure. I like the rice milk and ginger beer. I find some of the foods there disgusting like the Plum Duff. It is too gluey, and I do not enjoy the gross raisins sprinkled throughout it. I love apples, but I do not like plums in the least.
That is a plum duff^ . Looks gross, right? 

The street vendors have some good foods, but they are mostly for the working class. I usually enjoy meats for dinner rather than cheaper foods. Those poor people are really missing out on the bacon.

Sources:
http://www.victorianchildren.org/victorian-food/
http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-food.html
http://www.thecompletevictorian.com/thepantry.html
http://listverse.com/2013/01/06/10-weird-foods-sold-by-victorian-street-vendors/