The early Victorian era introduced new traditions of the holidays such as the Christmas tree, greeting cards, and of course Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Dickens himself was known to be an avid food and drink lover, and depictions of food (goose, turkey, mash potatoes, apple sauce, gravy) are vividly woven into this beloved classic.
While we may not actually use the old terminology (inviting people over for some Smoking Bishops for example), there are plenty of Victorian party traditions that have endured. Here are a few that originated from that romantic era.
Smoking Bishop –
similar to mulled wine
Christmas Pudding – A steamed fruit cake
Roasted Goose – stuffed and roasted
Now that we’ve survived Thanksgiving, we can turn our attention to the feasts and traditions surrounding Christmas past, present and future…