"Poor man's protein"?

[major bill]

This month's CWRT Civil War language questions is about: What food during the Victorian era, was sold on the street as fast food, especially at Christmas time, and known as "poor man's protein" ? I hate to guess that this is. Someone at the CWRT this month will probably know.

 

[Kurt G]

I would guess in coastal areas it might be lobster , which was so abundant that some people complained if that was all that was available .

 

[major bill]

Although I do not know I have a feeling they were selling rat meat.

 

[major bill]

Or worse yet Mrs' Lovett's Meat-pies. See Sweeny Todd.

 

[donna]

If some one knows, please post.

 

[Fairfield]

I vote with Sgt. Kurt: lobster! Of course there is peanut butter--but that is relatively new?

 

[PrivateBrooke]

It seems lobster is a good candidate.

Dailymotion

www.dailymotion.com

 

[major bill]

Was lobster available in the Victorian era? I am not sure if it was.

Any views about the eating of dog or cat meat by poor people during the Victorian era?

Well in two weeks I should find out during the Ann Arbor CWRT.

 

[Fairfield]

Was lobster available in the Victorian era? I am not sure if it was.

Any views about the eating of dog or cat meat by poor people during the Victorian era?

Well in two weeks I should find out during the Ann Arbor CWRT.

Lobsters have been eaten since colonial times; in the 1700's special boats called "smacks" were used. The first known lobster pound was established in 1876.

When you're poor and hungry, I guess you'll eat about anything (they used to say in NYC that in the good times, people fed the pigeons-- but in the bad, the pigeons fed the people). I'd guess that eating a dog wasn't that common because instances of it were unusual enough to be reported in newspapers.

 

[Kurt G]

I remember being told stories about some relatives who lived in Michigan's Upper Peninsula who trapped song birds to eat during the Great Depression . Compared to that pigeons sound pretty good .

 

[PrivateBrooke]

Was lobster available in the Victorian era? I am not sure if it was.

Any views about the eating of dog or cat meat by poor people during the Victorian era?

Well in two weeks I should find out during the Ann Arbor CWRT.

Humans have been eating lobster for thousands of years. The Vikings are known to have enjoyed it(although not considered a delicacy), and the Native Americans used it as fish bait and emergency food. European settlers used it as prison food and it was eaten by the very poor until railroad travel became more commonplace, (Probably after the CW with the migrating trains west) it was served on trains, and chefs finally figured out that we cooking it wrong, which is why it tasted so terrible and often caused nausea. The video in the link I posted previously covers this.

 

[lupaglupa]

Oysters turn up as a "poor man's protein" also - especially in England

 

[diane]

I thought poor man's protein was beans. A bowl of succotash, corn tortilla with beans, acorn mush and epaws (tiny beanie thing - don't know the English!) - eat that and you're good to go!

I can understand lobster being used for fish bait - giant cockroach! They will stink up the whole neighborhood in revenge for cooking them, too...

Lupaglupa beat me to it - was going to say oysters seemed so abundant they were feeding the army on them.

 

[Shalom Hobbitess]

Others have beat me to it, but my guess was oysters, partly because I know they were sold on the street, however they were popular with all levels of society so I'm not sure. Diane's right that poor man's protein has been beans and legumes throughout history, but I can't think of a street food of the time that had beans in it, except regionally (memory serves, there were various Mexican dishes sold on the street in the South West cities and parts of California). Although the difference between street food and restaurants wasn't always clearly drawn back then, so some bean dishes might count I guess.