Eggnog (also known as milk or egg milk punch) was originally made of milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs, some type of alcohol, and various spices. Today you can buy many types of commercially prepared eggnogs including those that use almond, rice, or coconut milk. NOTE: Many of the recipes spelled Egg Nogg with two ‘gs’ at the end. I rather like it as it matches the two ‘gs’ in the word “egg.” INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: EGG-NOGG Beat…
In the 1800s, people often lived far from a doctor or couldn’t afford to pay one. So they treated illnesses by following advice from neighbors and family members, or by reading cookbooks or medical books. If a patient didn’t feel like eating, it was important to offer a variety of nourishing drinks. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: The preparation of food and drink for the sick and convalescent person is even more important than the preparation for the strong…
In the 1800s, vegetables were mostly picked from gardens, bought fresh from the market, or stored in cellars for future use. People couldn’t afford to waste food, so advice on preparing and cooking vegetables was certainly appreciated. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS GREEN VEGETABLES – Wash green vegetables first in warm water to remove insects. Then rinse in cold water. Or put a pinch of borax in the water. It will bring any live insect to the surface at once….
Christmas pudding is sometimes known as plum pudding, although recipes don’t call for plums. In pre-Victorian times, raisins were called plums, and then later other dried fruits. Making these a Christmas pudding was a long process, using many ingredients. They were usually put into a pudding cloth or mold and boiled a long time, although sometimes they were baked. A sauce was usually poured over the pudding before serving. Christmas puddings with high alcohol content were often aged for weeks…