The British main meal in the 1990s: has it changed its identity?

Abstract

It has been claimed that the British diet is still recognizably different from that of other cultures. The claim appears to be based on the fact that the structure of the main meal and its food combinations – meat, potatoes and vegetables – identify it with British culture. This study examines evidence for this claim and attempts to find a theoretical explanation for it. A historical survey of British eating habits gives some understanding of how these have been formed, and food consumption figures and market research surveys are used to indicate the distinctive features of the British meal in the 1990s. Although this evidence can only be used in a speculative manner to confirm the claim made for a distinctive form of the British meal in the 1990s the results suggest that food items associated with the British diet and in particular with the main meal are still important, and their consumption is significant compared with “foreign” items such as pasta. An explanation for this phenomenon invokes structural theory which recognizes that meals have a format that is held in place by natural and social phenomena determined by social relationships while developmental theory which allows for change accounts for the transformations in foodstuffs that have occurred within the structure. Structuralism embraces socialization and tradition that maintain continuity. Developmentalism engages materialistic factors such as technology, transport, which bring about change. The balance between these factors will determine whether or not in the next 50 years the British diet will still be recognizably British.