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Victorian Food Facts for Kids: Food for Rich and Poor

The Victorian people clearly loved to eat. However, unlike today where we spend a good portion of our time eating food, the Victorian era featured people who really ate only two true meals per day.

Victorian food for various meals

In fact, it was common for the average person to eat a large breakfast, a very light lunch, and then a very late Supper. Therefore, Lunch was not enough to hold people over until the late supper and many people considered themselves very hungry by the time they got around to eating in the evening time.

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However, the breakfasts and suppers often featured nine-course meals. Each course may have been very petite though. Still, those who had the money ate very well during their two main courses of the day.

Since there was such a large break in the middle of the day where food was not often consumed, one of the royalties stated that she had a sinking feeling. This was probably a way of her explaining her hunger. Therefore, she decided to create time for an afternoon tea. This became very important and still stands today as one of the things recognized by the people outside of England.

Afternoon Tea

England is known for their tea parties and afternoon tea. It was originated by the Victorian royalty and others during this era caught on quickly to the rage. Not long after hotels and other establishments frequently served tea and offered tea rooms that were to accommodate people between lunch and supper time.

Another thing that people started to catch on to was recipes. Some of the top chefs during this era began to measure their ingredients and sell books which contained recipes on how to cook their food.

Prior to this time, very little information was shared and the vast majority of cooking recipes came from learning it at home. Recipe books in the Victorian era were something that almost every woman dreamed of having. Those who could afford them would have had one.

A lot has been written about Victorian workhouse food and how terrible the life there was.