Dante Carrillo
The diet of people in the 1800s was largely dependent on their geographical location and socioeconomic status. At the time, most people lived on farms and grew their own food, with corn and beans being particularly common. Diets included wild game, such as deer and turkeys, and in the south, where cattle were less common, pork was a primary source of meat. The kitchen was centred around an open hearth, and women would wake up early to prepare the hearth for cooking. Meals were often cooked over an open flame, and people would also use coal and ashes to cook with cast iron dutch ovens.
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Seasonal eating
In the early 1800s, kitchens were very different from what we know today. They were centred on an open hearth, a cooking area at the base of a fireplace, and women would have to wake up early to prepare the hearth for cooking. Without running water, many homes had a "dry sink", which consisted of a recessed countertop with room for a basin and pitcher of water. Cooking methods included roasting, boiling, and stewing, and people would pile coals and ashes around and on top of cast-iron Dutch ovens.
Dutch ovens later evolved into wood stoves, which were common in homes in the later 1800s and early 1900s before the advent of electricity. Preparing meals was a time-consuming and labour-intensive process. Spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, and seasonings like salt and pepper, had to be ground with mortars and pestles. Milk had to be brought in from cows, and cream and butter were made from it. Families would often join their neighbours to share the workload of butchering animals, and the social nature of this chore turned it into a community event.
In the early 1800s, more than 90% of Americans lived on farms and grew much of their food, so their diets were largely dictated by the seasons. In the spring and summer, they ate many more fruits and vegetables, while in the fall and winter, they relied on greens that had been sun-dried, pickled, or stored in a root cellar. In the north, cows provided milk, butter, and beef, while in the south, where cattle were less common, pork was the primary meat, along with venison and other game.
A typical breakfast in the mid-Atlantic region in the early 1800s might include coffee, bread and butter, cold turkey, fried hominy, toast and cider, small corn cakes, or beer thickened with wheat flour.
Over the past two centuries, the American diet has changed drastically due to industrial and technological advancements, urbanisation, wars, cultural shifts, and globalisation. Processed and ultra-processed foods have increased from less than 5% to more than 60% of the diet, with large increases in sugar, white flour, rice, poultry, eggs, vegetable oils, dairy products, and fresh vegetables. Red meat consumption, on the other hand, has declined by 44% since 1800, and fluid and cream dairy consumption has dropped by 48%.
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Kitchen setup
For most of the 1800s, kitchens did not have running water or electricity. Preparing meals required building a fire, grinding spices, and churning milk and butter by hand. The hearth was central to the kitchen, with a cooking area at the base and around the fireplace. This open hearth was used for cooking, with different techniques requiring different flame sizes. For example, roasting required a larger flame, while boiling and stewing suited smaller flames. Fireplaces often had a "reflector", a spit-like rotating contraption similar to today's rotisseries, which required manual turning. Coals and ashes were also used for cooking, with cast iron Dutch ovens placed on top or around them. Dutch ovens were also used by cowboys in the Old West, who cooked with mobile kitchens consisting of revamped army supply wagons. These kitchens travelled alongside cowboys and included cast-iron kettles, pans, and Dutch ovens.
Kitchens in the early 1800s were considered "primitive" by modern standards. Many homes had a "dry sink", a recessed countertop with space for a basin and pitcher of water. Women would wake up early to prepare the hearth for the day's cooking. The fireplace was a social space, with neighbours gathering to share news and gossip while working.
Families with higher incomes might have a range or built-in oven to the side of the open fire, allowing for more complex and varied cooking. They could also afford to roast meat, a more expensive cooking method. Lower-income families had more limited kitchen facilities, often consisting of an open fire with an oven that could be swung over it. They were more likely to boil their meat, especially pork or mutton shoulder, cooked with potatoes and carrots and served with an onion sauce.
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Meat sources
Meat was a staple in the 1800s diet, with the main sources being game and domesticated animals. The type of meat consumed varied across different regions and social groups.
In the South, where cattle were less common, pork was the primary meat source until the 1940s. Hogs were the most important domestic livestock, and salt pork was a staple along the frontier. Wild game, such as deer, was also commonly consumed in the South.
In the North, cows provided beef, milk, butter, and cheese. However, pigs were still widely utilised across all regions of the United States due to their ease of breeding and the versatility of their meat.
During the antebellum era, the main game meats in the American diet included rabbit, squirrel, venison, buffalo, and bear. Game was more common in rural areas, especially among the poor, those living along the frontier, and some slaves who were permitted to carry firearms. Hunting wild game, such as deer and turkeys, was also a common activity for men and boys, who spent most of their time outdoors.
Breakfast and dinner often consisted of fried meat, and meat was typically preserved by smoking and salting for about a month.
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Weight and dieting
During this time, people ate three meals a day, with the primary meal being the second. A typical breakfast in the mid-Atlantic region in the early 19th century might include coffee, bread and butter, cold turkey, fried hominy, toast, cider, or corn cakes. Diets were high in meat, with pork being a staple in the Southeast, and beef more common in the North. Wild game, such as deer and turkey, was also consumed.
The first government advice on balancing proteins, carbohydrates, and fats came in 1894. As the 19th century progressed, it became less desirable to be overweight, and people began to seek easy fixes for weight loss. For example, Englishman William Banting reportedly lost 50 pounds in a year by avoiding bread, butter, milk, sugar, beer, and potatoes and eating large amounts of meat.
By the early 20th century, low-calorie cookbooks began to emerge, and life insurance companies reported that being overweight increased the risk of death. The Department of Agriculture introduced the five food groups in 1916, and around World War II, charts showing ideal weight-for-height were introduced, similar to today's body mass index. The infrastructure for dieting was in place by the 1970s, with the emergence of diet foods, weight-loss support groups, and diet pills.
However, despite the increasing focus on weight and dieting, obesity rates have surged in recent decades. This can be partly attributed to the increased consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to a rise in non-communicable diseases. While red meat consumption has declined since 1800, egg consumption has increased, and there has been a shift towards more processed fats, such as margarine and vegetable oils.
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Food preparation
In addition to the hearth, some wealthier families had detached kitchens, separate from the main house, to keep the smoke, heat, and smells of cooking away from the living area. However, most families did not have this luxury, and the hearth was the centre of home life and family activity.
Preparing meals was not just a matter of starting a fire. Spices and seasonings, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, had to be ground with mortars and pestles. Milk had to be brought in from the family cow, and cream and butter were made by hand. After milking the cow, the milk was left to sit for about an hour, allowing the cream to rise to the top and separate from the milk. The cream was then placed into a butter churn and beaten until it hardened into butter, first becoming whipped cream.
Oysters were a staple food in the 19th century and were prepared in a multitude of ways, including grilled, fried, roasted, stewed, baked in pies, or even pickled. They were used in sandwiches, as turkey stuffing, in soups and sauces, or in dishes such as Hangtown Fry, an oyster and egg dish. Turtle was also eaten, although less commonly due to its difficult preparation and the size of the animal. Turtle soup was considered a delicacy throughout the 1800s, although it became less popular towards the end of the century due to overharvesting and the decline in availability of sherry, an essential seasoning ingredient.
Squab, or young pigeon, was another staple protein source, as passenger pigeons were abundant and easy to hunt. It was prepared in various ways, including stews, roasted with salt pork, fried, baked in a pie, broiled, or served on toast.
In the early 19th century, the tin can was invented, revolutionising food preservation and storage. By the 1870s, companies like Campbell's and Heinz were mass-producing canned foods, and the mason jar for home canning was patented in 1858, becoming widely available in the following decades. Refrigeration technology also began to emerge, with the first patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851 and early refrigerated rail cars in use by the 1880s. By the early 1900s, most cities had ice plants, delivering blocks of ice to homes for use in ice boxes.
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Frequently asked questions
Kitchens in the early 1800s centred on an open hearth, a cooking area at the base of a fireplace. They didn't have running water, so most homes had a "dry sink", which was a recessed countertop with room for a basin and pitcher of water.
In the mid-Atlantic in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, breakfast would be eaten after several hours of work. It might include coffee, bread and butter, cold turkey, fried hominy, toast and cider, three small corn cakes, or beer thickened with wheat flour.
Families usually ate three meals a day, with the main meal being the second. This would be eaten in the middle of the day, after several hours of work. It might include meat, vegetables, and game such as deer and turkeys.
People ate seasonally, eating more fruits and vegetables in the spring and summer, and preserved greens in the colder months. In the north, cows provided milk, butter, and beef, while in the south, pork was the primary source of meat.
The American diet has changed radically since 1800 due to industrial and technological advances, wars, cultural changes, and globalisation. Processed and ultra-processed foods have dramatically increased, especially sugar, white flour, vegetable oils, and ready-to-eat meals. Red meat consumption has declined by 44% since 1800, and egg consumption has increased by 241%.
