Victorian Dining—14-Course, Four-Hour Meals2006 Meals today are often on paper plates, zapped in the microwave oven or eaten on the run to a meeting or after-school activity. But for the Victorians in the late 1800s, dinner was an important social occasion. Wealthy women might entertain several nights a week while middle-class women might have guests once a month.
A formal meal, which would take up to four hours to serve and eat, consisted of up to 14 courses.
Dishes used for each course might have had different patterns since dishes were completely cleared before the next course was served. Guests could choose which courses they wished to be served and were not expected to partake of every course.
Haviland & Company designed many elegant sets to be used specifically for these many different courses. Here is a sample of the various courses and foods that were served.
Raw oysters
Soup
Hors d’oeuvres anchovies, sardines, pickled oysters, cucumbers or celery,
as well as deviled eggs
Fish
Meat typically roast beef or lamb served with several green vegetables and potatoes
Sorbet
Croquettes, fricassees garnished with vegetables
Venison, wild pigeon, roast duck or quail
Vegetable salads, such as beans, beets, turnip tops, macaroni and potatoes
Dessert sweet pastries, puddings, creams, charlottes and cakes
Ice cream or fruit ices
Fruit, nuts and cheese
Coffee served with petit fours or bonbons
Savories
From Haviland China, “The Age of Elegance” by Nora Travis (Schiffer Publishing, 1996; revised 2004), and “Evolution of Haviland China Design,” by Nora Travis (Schiffer Publishing, 2005).
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