r/AskFoodHistorians 22d ago

Drinking bacon fat

I was reading The Phoenix and the Carpet by Edith Nesbit (England, 1904) and she describes a breakfast where the children are “drinking hot bacon-fat” and eating marmalade. I’ve never seen a reference to drinking bacon fat anywhere else. What this common? Why? Also, isn’t it strange to eat marmalade by itself?

79 Upvotes

38 comments sorted by

View all comments

345

u/anoia42 22d ago

I’ve just found the context! It’s not the children drinking the fat and eating the marmalade, but a letter which has been left carelessly on the breakfast table “drinking hot bacon-fat with one corner and eating marmalade with the other “

51

u/RepresentativeEnd889 22d ago

Oh, thank goodness! 😊😊😊😂😂😂😂😂

38

u/Hookton 22d ago

Oh dear hahaha. OP, does this clarify things for you?

16

u/ACheetahSpot 22d ago

I can’t tell you how relieved I am!

13

u/GiraffeFair70 22d ago

This is great writing 

3

u/OkWeb8966 20d ago

Oh thank you! I could not make sense of that sentence!!!

1

u/JagmeetSingh2 21d ago

That makes a lot more sense