Home refrigerators that held a block of ice were available in the 1800s, but they were small and didn’t hold much food. Electric refrigerators were introduced around 1913, but were quite expensive and only the rich owned one. They became a little more common in the 1920s, with more being sold in the 1930s, but even then, not everyone had one. My grandparents lived on a small farm in Illinois and didn’t even get electricity until 1950. So until electric…
Cottolene was the first mass-produced alternative to lard, made with cottonseed oil and beef suet. It was launched in 1868 by the N.K. Fairbank Company and advertised as a vegetable shortening more pure and wholesome than lard. Although cotton isn’t a vegetable, the FDA defines any oil sourced from plants—regardless of whether it comes from a fruit, nut, seed, or vegetable as a “vegetable oil.” Cottolene looked like lard and came packaged in pails, just like lard. It was aggressively promoted…
When I was young, the only crackers my mother bought were saltines and occasionall graham crackers (for a treat). Today there is usually a whole aisle in stores devoted entirely to crackers. During most of the 1800s, people made their own crackers. They may have flavored them, but recipes in cookbooks didn’t mention it. In the latter part of the 1800s and early 1900s, crackers were sold in country stores. They were shipped in barrels to prevent them from breaking….
Syllabub is a creamy, sweet dessert, originally from England. It’s made with cream, sugar, citrus juice, usually wine, or some other liquor. Syllabub was popular in the United States during the 18th and early 19th centuries, especially at festive occasions and social gatherings. It sounds deliciious and would be fun to try and make. RECIPES BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS SYLLABUBTake one quart of rich milk or cream, one cup wine, and one-half cup sugar. Put the sugar and wine into a…
Common garden sorrel has a tart, lemon flavor and was popular in the 1800s. The larger leaves were used for soups and sauces and the young leaves for salads. I haven’t been able to find out why people quit using it, but it now seems to be making a comeback. You probably won’t find sorrel in a grocery store because it doesn’t ship or store well, even when refrigerated. It doesn’t tolerate heat well, so try growing it as a…
Molasses is a thick, sticky liquid sweetener made from refining sugarcane or sometimes sugar beets. I’ve always loved the taste of molasses. When I was a child, my mother would sometimes let me eat a spoonful of it from a jar (we didn’t get many sweets). Of course, I like it in baked beans and molasses cookies, too. There are different types of molasses depending on the amount of time it’s refined. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: MOLASSES CANDY Boil…
FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ~ Cabbage is a succulent vegetable with a high flavor. In fact, its flavor is so strong that in many cases it disagrees with persons. When cabbage is cooked, the cover should be removed from the kettle. This plan permits the evaporation of much of the strong flavor which arises in the steam, which would otherwise be reabsorbed by the cabbage. It is the retention of this flavor, together with long cooking, that causes this vegetable to…
INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS “Spinach requires close examination and picking, as insects are frequently found among it and it is often gritty. Nothing is worse than spinach when gritty, so likewise there is nothing more troublesome to get quite clean, from its growing so near the earth. Spinach should be picked a leaf at a time, and washed in three or four waters. Then drain it and put it in boiling water. Fifteen to twenty minutes is generally sufficient time…