A Georgian Era Culinary Adventure



Other Cuisines

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marga@lacabe.com



The Georgian era, which lasted from the early eighteenth to the early nineteenth century in England, was characterized by rapid economic and social changes in England. The nacent industrial revolution led to massive urbanization and emigration from the countryside, both to the cities and to the Americas. An expanding merchant and professional "middle class" created a market for all sorts of small luxuries, including the employment of professional cooks and the purchase of more sophisticated ingredients. Meanwhile, the agricultural revolution and England's expanding trade empire assured that spices and foodstuffs from around the world were readily available to the English. Sugar, in particular, became widely affordable due to the expansion of sugar plantations manned by slave labor.

English food as we know it from 19th century novels was born in this period. The Georgians indulged in meats and sweets of all kinds, and showed a strong preference for cream and butter. After the French revolution, many professional chefs fled France for England putting their own imprint on the developing English cuisine.

Mass-market cookbooks became popular in this era, and all the recipes I cooked came from them. These were: