These Wacky Victorian Dishes Will Make You Thankful For Modern Cooking

For the Victorians, every meal was a theatrical event, requiring lots of careful etiquette, and extremely stylized dishes.

Naturally, the same pageantry applied first and foremost to the main course, which was the center piece of the meal.

For example, this dish featured a massive savory pie, surrounded by tiny roasted game birds, and topped with a well-dressed rooster made of plaster and "real feathers."

In fact, there was quite a focus on arranging main dishes around artificial birds.

This avian display of plaster swans was set up to display several rings of roasted poultry, including larks on the top layer and quails at the base.

Of course, if you prefer your food free of feathers, this mythology-inspired display also offers plenty of inspiration!

Just as poultry dishes were decorated with birds, this impressive array of seafood was presented under a lard model of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.

And for larger cuts of meat, the discerning Victorian could simply add dramatic decorative elements, like the tufts of feathers that adorn these roasts, or a dainty bed of truffles and mushrooms.

Cuts of beef and pork, meanwhile, might be topped off with tiny decorative skewers, or even garnished with ruffles of paper.

Even side dishes got a similar amount of attention.

This illustration features a variety of fruits, vegetables, jellies, and shellfish skewered together into elaborate arrangements.

Meanwhile, these light "luncheon" platters showcase myriad ways to arrange your chosen menu into the shape of a pyramid.

Queen Victoria ruled over Britain during the heyday of British colonialism, and her subjects were fascinated by the far-off lands they heard about back home.

These ornate cakes pay homage to that, drawing inspiration from the pyramids of Egypt and the attire of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, other desserts were dedicated to aspects of Victorian culture a bit closer to home, like these cakes celebrating cricket, tennis, sculling, and other sports popular with the upper-class in the 19th century.

Of course, what's a dinner party without a little subterfuge?

Though these dishes may look like the main meat course at first glance, they're actually clever disguises that hold fruits, candies, or other sweets.

In fact, elaborate preparations for simple desserts were commonplace, like these presentations of fresh fruit, which might be tied up in ribbons or buried in powdered sugar.

And if fresh fruit were just a tad too rustic for the fête in question, the knowledgeable hostess could always choose instead to serve a dessert that honors the armed forces, like a plate of cakes shaped like military drums, or a warship with sails made of chocolate.

Some of these intricate desserts were really closer to art than to food.

One could eat these beautiful countryside scenes made out of spun sugar, but they're really much too pretty to destroy, don't you think?

And the incredible styling of the food even extended as far as the place settings.

This well-table featured fancy cutlery, plenty of garnishes, and even a complete working fountain. It's pretty spectacular!

And if you're blown away by what the Victorians did in the name of food, please SHARE on Facebook!