The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-07
History of Victuals
Curiosities OF Mankind in
the Habit Of Feeding.


hitherto, when he was hungry OF had
something "a cat. The institution Of neal
times. as apart from the mere demands
Of hunger. nauasd stability II soe.ety.
II Is curious TO note the alteration IN the
hours Of the principal meals. Dinner and
supper appear TO have traascendsd al
other meals The word -'ereakfastr IS
applied 10 the morning food Is nor known
before the fifteenth century. Untu COM
Paratively recent TIRES il appears n.
have been merely and literally h-eaS-
Ing Of the fast Pepys hsbitually took a
half-psnt OF Rhenish or dram % strcnE
waters as his breakfast while Tzaak
Walton recommends pipe OF tobacco as
the best sustenAnce IN the morning. THAT
dinner was emphaucally the paramount.
II not only meal OF the day. IS shown BY
the early hour a. which y was taken.
In the fourteenth century dinner was
eaten ar 5 a. N. rhyme OF the period
babe man rise at I'VE diae at nine. Al
I've in The evening thou uaayst sup. to
bed AZ nine. AID thou shah i've to nine
T. and nine" SAYS the London Standard.
In the Northumberland House Book.
for l5l2 1t IS seq forth tear the falally
rose at j. m. broke fast az seven.
dined at ten and supped at feur 81 tie
afternoon. The gates were al shut az
nine and further ingress OF erress re-
fused At oxford. in I570. It was usual
10 dine at II o'clock and sup at ave IN tho
afternoon. All bat the highest classes
took their meals somewhat earlier.
Louis XIV. OF France postponed dinner
until two O'Clock. and this time was re-
tanned until the revolution. when six D.
m became the dinner hour. About tho
same time the dinner IN Germany. which
had hitherto been eaten az twelve. was
carried forward into the afternoon. In
England Horace Walpole complained OF
the late practice Of diaing az six ? m.
which, he grumbled. meant the evening
could not begin % be spent until ten.
But the progress Of the dinner hour has
been continuous. and the meal which was
once served as early as 10 a m. Is now.
in some circles. served nearly twelve
hours later WITH the gradual recession
OF dinner and its usurpation u the place
OF supper breakfast has become a solid
meal and luncheon and tea institutions
The latter is no doubt responsible FOR tho
pOstponement OF dinner TO so late an
hour.
In character. as well as IN time meals
have undergone complete transforma-
tons Dinner was always the great meal
Of the day. and as sunptuous and ex-
travaganJ as possible. SO lavish did the
feasts become that in the reign OK Ed
ward III. an act was passed prohibiting
more than two courses being served az
dinner or supper. except on certain holt
days. The curious may note that this
law has never been repealed. and re-
mains on the statute book 20 this day
Carving was then a iue art ard tho
manner In which a gentleman helped
himself with his dagger from thu Joint
OF a bird proffered by a page gained him
EMO mean respect The absence of forks
led To much stress being laid upon the
washing az hands before and after meals.
and 20 the rule that ths left hand alone
should be dipped in the common dish. tho
right hand being oceEpied with the knife
Small forks we're not introduced into use
unfH the seventeenth century. and them
guests provided their own. Pepe took
his spoon and fork VIE him 70 the lord
mayors banquet in 1855.
The dinner of the past period o. Eng
ush cookery consisted OF three courses
each complete IN itself and finished or
with dish 81 subtle device Here IL a
menu 81 a 3ueouth century dinner. which
FOR variety not Go Hention selldigy. a
modern chef would end hard "a beat
Baked mallarG tesls ROASTED Nth sauce
Of almonds and butter boiled 10 min
Roasted capon served wiih syrup ~ hon
ey and pears well heatsn Roasted lee 81
calf. boiled herons. sfek'ug pig. seethea
and baked set about De slit aHd a citron
IN his mouth. Flesh tart with sauce %
ounce Second course: Roasted hetige-
bog with Jelly n pear. vonisoa well
baked with many apples Almond and
white wine pudding. Bears nesh IN soft
pudding Two cranet With the gravy q
a young Kid Partridge and curieW wiki
sauce - good syrup Third course. a
peacock roasted with grease - uiss
chop. set out covered wlth iia skin and
feathers mauy- onions underneath hifn-
Pears baked lu syrup custard u cream
and the eggs 81 heps. Wine sauce With
mlns and ianst wei miEed. Also saEac
small biras n ali kind lsid 80 good Hine.
After these dishss-in which 60 may D.
noted "tha roast beef ~ England =
inissfng-the guests retired 90 another
room whsre pastry. sp@ee lrneats and fruit
were served wIih choice wines The va
rIety ~ wines formerly la use caaaot BE-
exceeded now a writc~ ~ Eilzabefha
reign mentions nfty-aix kinds ~ Frenra.
tairfy-sfx Spanish and fts.ian elues iHi-
ported iuss England dinner ~ Char
ies vss equally profIse and dainfY. ia-
c.1diog. iadee5. q "so7B ~ ruayiea'
The Enggsh have always been essen
sass uaeaf-esteTs The gazpel ~ Convent
Garden q even u8H he'd b. bsi few.
wHb the exception - onieas eaitgatsd
roots ard heritage wsTe saA1qNH in BIZ
can ~ the 8dale Ages Hhst vszs'a-
hles seerc Required Esrs lzrg3rfea from
Holland Tbe introduction ~ tss g9fata
ata iss general c4lsiss,iea fr1m so9at
fes fsru sas noaf in9F-sat rveni = ifs
Ard N9assags fHe snsatlgn = 10
POPULAR aat as ztf5zf ..er aa~g.lsss. ~.
ae- h rats egaaf-r aFe-aFe 70 tE
.srr hssd pr aaHau 81. -Hr1 sht itrse
~ t-- alarsreaifh el1 fts feastE
sfrsla raaaIarlIF saf even reH q e ~.
eesfaa - tte rlr.e- Oa 3 sefaao 81
BIZ rh7s.id EsFs SRI. H fl 20 tas fssa-
co. ~ isrts Tsss Ea,sa
E.ss. usara- palslaE sae ea,g afss-aa9 go
~-ararf aes fsz-a fz faf 4ssf tas
srss r gf we srr a
uls Hrzs bs1 Hn sd
rsl4es Ti Nes a re4 - f1# F