When I was a child, my mother made delicious fried potatoes and fried chicken in a large Cast Iron Skillet. She usually used bacon grease, but if she didn’t have enough, she used canned shortening. My mother never did use lard, but I knew people who did. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: SCRAPS OF FAT All scraps of fat—cooked or uncooked—as well as any drippings from beef, veal, pork, and chicken, should be saved and used in cooking. A careful…
Horseradish is in the same plant family as broccoli, mustard, wasabi, and cabbage. The horseradish root has hardly any aroma when it’s pulled from the ground, but when it’s cut or grated, it produces an oil which affects the sinuses and eyes. Horseradish was brought to North America during the European colonization. George Washington mentions it in his garden accounts. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS THE HORSERADISH This has been, for many years, a favorite accompaniment of roast beef, and…
I’ve read through dozens of old cookbooks from the 1800s and snails have only been mentioned in one of them. They have never been popular in the United States; and especially not during this time period. The information below is from: The Hand-Book of Practical Cookery For Ladies and Professional Cooks by Pierre Blot , New York, 1884 ================================================= SNAILS: A good many are now imported from Europe. CLEAN AND PREPARE SNAILS Throw them in boiling water, in which you have put some…
Many recipes from old cookbooks called for mushroom ketchup – especially meat recipes. I had never heard of mushroom ketchup before and haven’t found it in any health food or specialty food stores. I did discover that the Geo Watkins Company makes Mushroom Ketchup and you can order it online. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO MAKE MUSHROOM KETCHUP Look out for mushrooms from the beginning of September. Choose full-grown mushroom-flaps and take care they are perfectly fresh-gathered when the weather…