Manchester University Press
5 Eating and drinking
Abstract
Chapter 5 considers cooking and dining patterns in poor abodes. The evidence reveals that although many people had the means to cook in diverse ways, such as roasting and frying, most meals were boiled or stewed. This does not, however, mean that the poor only ate out of necessity and were content with boring dishes. Rather, many would flavour their meals with herbs and spices and it is important to remember that liquid-based dishes remained a staple of people’s diets because they enjoyed them. Many people also had the means to bake their own bread and grow their own vegetables to add to these dishes but sourced foodstuffs such as cheese, beer and meat from outside the home. When it came to serving the finished meal, earthenware dishes, which could come in a wide array of colours and patterns, were the norm. There was a decline in pewterware and woodenware as people’s tastes and needs changed, but these dishes continued to be found in everyday use. Knives and forks grew in ownership, indicating that there was a move from communal eating to personal dishes and new dining rituals. The chapter ends by considering tea, coffee and chocolate. Tea took off on an unprecedented scale and was a universal staple of labouring diets by the 1770s. Some people even owned tea paraphernalia such as tea caddies and tea tables. Although less popular than tea, coffee also became fairly widespread, while chocolate was probably only an occasional treat for most.
Abstract
Chapter 5 considers cooking and dining patterns in poor abodes. The evidence reveals that although many people had the means to cook in diverse ways, such as roasting and frying, most meals were boiled or stewed. This does not, however, mean that the poor only ate out of necessity and were content with boring dishes. Rather, many would flavour their meals with herbs and spices and it is important to remember that liquid-based dishes remained a staple of people’s diets because they enjoyed them. Many people also had the means to bake their own bread and grow their own vegetables to add to these dishes but sourced foodstuffs such as cheese, beer and meat from outside the home. When it came to serving the finished meal, earthenware dishes, which could come in a wide array of colours and patterns, were the norm. There was a decline in pewterware and woodenware as people’s tastes and needs changed, but these dishes continued to be found in everyday use. Knives and forks grew in ownership, indicating that there was a move from communal eating to personal dishes and new dining rituals. The chapter ends by considering tea, coffee and chocolate. Tea took off on an unprecedented scale and was a universal staple of labouring diets by the 1770s. Some people even owned tea paraphernalia such as tea caddies and tea tables. Although less popular than tea, coffee also became fairly widespread, while chocolate was probably only an occasional treat for most.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vi
- List of tables viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- List of abbreviations xiii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Accommodating the poor 31
- 2 Material wealth and material poverty 55
- 3 Building blocks of the home 84
- 4 Comforts of the hearth 117
- 5 Eating and drinking 143
- 6 Non-essential goods 180
- 7 Contrasting genders and locations 206
- Conclusion 220
- Select bibliography 224
- Index 246
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vi
- List of tables viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- List of abbreviations xiii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Accommodating the poor 31
- 2 Material wealth and material poverty 55
- 3 Building blocks of the home 84
- 4 Comforts of the hearth 117
- 5 Eating and drinking 143
- 6 Non-essential goods 180
- 7 Contrasting genders and locations 206
- Conclusion 220
- Select bibliography 224
- Index 246
