Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History (Victorian Life and Times)

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Review
In this fascinating look at Victorian foodways, Broomfield examines the industrialization of food and its consequent influence on culinary values, habits, and techniques, as well as its social impact on upper, middle, and lower classes of 19th-century Britain. Topics include English breakfasts, Victorian midday meals, various types of afternoon and evening meals known as "teas," and dinner parties. Particularly symbolic is the transition from dinner a la francaise to dinner a la russe, signaling change from slow, informal, and convivial dining of the 18th-century English gentry to stiff, formal, and prescriptive dining of 19th-century Victorian entrepreneurs. Expertly researched and rich in detail, this book provides a comprehensive historical overview of the early stages of the industrialization of food. Especially valuable for readers interested in current controversies in food culture. Recommended. All levels.Choice[T]his is a well-written and well-researched examination of the role of food and food preparation in England at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. Broomfield has drawn on a wealth of primary and secondary resources, including manuscripts, and period cookbooks, to provide an in-depth, fascinating, and personal look into the Victorian kitchen....Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries.Library JournalCollege-level culinary libraries strong in Victorian history will appreciate Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History, with its survey of Victorian times introduced by nine recipes detailing examples of food production, cooking and diet in early England. Discussions go far beyond the usual cookbook to include surveys of kitchen arrangement and duties, dining habits, social influences on food and wine choices, and much more. An excellent survey any college-level culinary collection specializing in food history will relish.Midwest Book Review/California BookwatchFood and Cooking in Victorian England is a valuable book. Broomfield's research is far-reaching and her historical arguments are insightful. Her descriptions of Victorian food are terrifically appealing, and her use of recipe books and household advice manuals to examine Victorian culture is quite effective....Certainly, this will illustrate the challenges faced by Victorian housewives better than any nineteenth-century novel ever could.Food & FoodwaysIn a series devoted to countering stereotypes of the Victorian era in England, this volume begins by explaining how recipes in early cookbooks reflected their writers' socioeconomic status and products of the Industrial Revolution (e.g., gas ranges). Broomfield , the author of Daily Life in Victorian England (1996), traces the evolution of breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, and the snob appeal of foods with French names. The book includes a chronology of English Victorian culinary history, period illustrations, sample recipes, and a glossary of cooking terms.Reference & Research Book News

Book Description
Nine recipes serve as entry points for detailing the history of food production, cooking, and diet throughout Queen Victoria's reign in England. More than that, however, Broomfield offers an introduction to the world of everyday dining, food preparation, and nutrition during one of the most interesting periods of English history. Food procurement, kitchen duties, and dining conventions were almost always dictated by one's socioeconomic status and one's gender, but questions still remain. Who was most likely to dine out? Who was most likely to be in charge of the family flatware and fine china? Who washed the dishes? Who could afford a fine piece of meat once a week, once a month, or never? How much did one's profession dictate which meal times were observed and when? All these questions and more are answered in this illuminating history of food and cooking in Victorian England.

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