{"id":1694,"date":"2026-09-14T16:03:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/british-food-was-complex-multicultural-and-flavourful-in-the-18th-century-despite-what-you-might-think\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T16:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:03:37","slug":"british-food-was-complex-multicultural-and-flavourful-in-the-18th-century-despite-what-you-might-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/british-food-was-complex-multicultural-and-flavourful-in-the-18th-century-despite-what-you-might-think\/","title":{"rendered":"British food was complex, multicultural and flavourful in the 18th century \u2013 despite what you might think"},"content":{"rendered":"
King George enjoying a meal by James Gilray (1792).<\/span> The Met<\/a>, CC BY-NC<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The stereotype of bland British food is notorious, and people mock the horrors of jellied eels and overcooked vegetables. Even roast beef and pudding are seen as uninspired compared to the cuisines of other nations. But British food is and has historically been complex, multicultural, and flavourful.<\/p>\n

It was wartime rationing that damaged Britain\u2019s culinary reputation<\/a>. With our co-authors, digital humanities scholar Adam Crymble and historian Sarah Fox, we looked at the age of George III (1760 to 1820) in our book, The King\u2019s Dinner<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We found surprisingly diverse flavours, as well as evidence of Britain\u2019s growing global power as it took on cooks and ingredients from across the globe and appropriated their tastes into the emerging national cuisine<\/a>. <\/p>\n

1. Cornucopia of vegetables<\/h2>\n
\n \"Painting
\n A variety of vegetables from around the world could be found on the King\u2019s table. Still Life of Vegetables by Pieter Andreas Rijsbrack (1800s).<\/span>
\n Wikimedia<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everyone thinks of roast beef when they think of British food, but there were plenty of vegetables available to grow or buy, and the King and his family ate lots of them. Monthly account books for King George III\u2019s household at Kew (1794-1799) show 32 types of vegetables and fruits that were regularly purchased. <\/p>\n

These items ranged from relatively recent introductions such as broccoli (originally from Italy), potatoes from America and cucumbers from Asia, to long-established ones such as samphire, cabbage and artichokes.<\/p>\n

2.European-inflected<\/h2>\n

George was the first of the Hanover monarchs to be born in England \u2013 previously they had all been born in Germany. His wife Charlotte, however, was from Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Their meals at Kew were comparatively heavy on fish and vegetables, similar to the foods eaten in Germany.<\/p>\n

Eighteenth-century Britain was home to many migrants who had fled religious persecution or the French revolution. In the era of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), some people thought French food was unpatriotic<\/a>, but fashionable Brits loved French cuisine. Lots of other European imports were sold in London shops, ranging from smoked sausages and reindeer to Parmesan cheese and olives. <\/p>\n

In 1815, the Four Nations eating house in London\u2019s Soho served German, Italian, French and English dishes. The appetite for European flavours and ingredients in the British diet reflected the multicultural nation, and its royal family.<\/p>\n

3. Indian food<\/h2>\n

Recipes for Indian-style curries started to appear in the 18th century. Curry was widely and rapidly adopted in British cuisine, in large part because of the significant number of returning employees from the East India Company. <\/p>\n

In 1810, Deen Mahomet \u2013 an Indian immigrant and, later, shampooing surgeon (an anglicisation of the Hindi word ch\u00e1mpn\u00e1<\/em>, which means to knead or vigorously massage) to Prince George in Brighton \u2013 set up the Hindostanee Coffee House, which served Indian-style food.<\/p>\n

It closed in 1812, partly because of the stiff competition from the nearby Norris Street Caf\u00e9, which had offered curries alongside other fare since 1773.<\/p>\n

\n \"The
\n The first advert for Indian curry powder from 1784.<\/span>
\n Wikimedia<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The royals don\u2019t seem to have eaten many curries, but \u2013 like many people in Britain \u2013 they may have enjoyed Indian-style pickles. Cookbook writers such as Eliza Smith<\/a> included recipes \u201cto mango cucumber\u201d, which was an Indian pickle. Mango, cucumbers or similar foods were hollowed out, stuffed with spices associated with India, including turmeric, ginger, cloves, mace and mustard, then put in vinegar. The Prince Regent was served pullet (a young female chicken) with India pickle on at least one occasion. <\/p>\n

By 1800, such goods were readily purchased from specialist dealers\u2019 warehouses. Warehouse no. 42 advertised piccalilli (made from chopped and pickled vegetables and spices) in the East Indian style and Skill\u2019s Warehouse claimed to sell exotic foods such as Indian pickles to several royals.<\/p>\n

4. Roast beef, or turtle?<\/h2>\n
\n \"A
\n French Liberty \u2013 British Slavery by James Gillray (1792).<\/span>
\n The Met<\/a>, CC BY-NC<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roast beef\u2019s claim to being the food of Britain was solidified through the many wars between Britain and France during the 18th century. This can be seen in the cartoon French Liberty, English Slavery\u2019 (1792)<\/a> by English caricaturist James Gillray. The rotund John Bull, a satirical character personifying England, is seen with a hulking steaming plate of delicious beef while his rail-thin French counterpart is dining on raw green onions and live snails. Here British beef and its abundance is used as a symbol of Britain\u2019s wealth. <\/p>\n

Despite the growing food shortages<\/a> by the 1800s, British nostalgia still focused on roast beef as a national symbol. And in the royal household, roast meat was a key part of the diet \u2013 even the servants ate it daily.<\/p>\n

Turtle, though, was challenging beef\u2019s role as national emblem symbolising Britain\u2019s growing imperial power. It was an expensive luxury \u2013 turtles needed to be kept alive on the long sea voyage from the Caribbean so they could be killed before cooking them. But there was definitely an appetite for turtle soup, despite \u2013 or perhaps because of \u2013 its cost. <\/p>\n

The Prince Regent enjoyed turtle soup throughout the summer. It was the second most frequently served soup at his London residence, Carlton House. It was served at the Lord Mayor\u2019s Day in London every year from 1761 to 1825, and was frequently served with some ceremony at banquets and in elite dining clubs until the late 19th century. <\/p>\n

Turtle dealers, like Wood\u2019s Soup House in 1802, even advertised events where they would butcher the turtle publicly and ship it in jars across the country. Mock turtle soup, made from a calves\u2019 head, became the budget-friendly and more frequently eaten version.<\/p>\n

Umami sauces<\/h2>\n

French cuisine was made up of unctuous, creamy sauces, where British cuisine was dominated by sharp, intense, tangy flavours that could be added at the table. On its own, roast beef was already umami (savoury, brothy, or meaty), but it was often served with sauces that enhanced its flavour: anchovy and wine sauce, pickles, Asian-inspired condiments made with soy or fish sauce, and meat-rich gravies. <\/p>\n

By 1760, store sauces including catsups and pickles were widely available to buy, making it easy to add a dash of umami to cooking. French food was fashionable, but the King and his family seem to have liked a hit of umami: gravies were served over 1,000 times at Kew and Carlton House, and fish-based sauces were a perennial favourite. Taken together these two umami-rich concoctions outnumber the French sauces.<\/p>\n

A British palate had emerged. It may have been based on roast meat and vegetables, but it was flexible and open to incorporating tastes from the expanding empire and their European networks.<\/p>\n

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Lisa Smith received funding from the British Academy. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Rachel Rich received funding from the British Academy.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

King George enjoying a meal by James Gilray (1792). The Met, CC BY-NC The stereotype of bland British food is notorious, and people mock the horrors of jellied eels and overcooked vegetables. Even roast beef and pudding are seen as uninspired compared to the cuisines of other nations. But British food is and has historically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}