A cordial (liqueur) is a sweetened alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit, and sweetened with various fruits and spices. Most cordials aren’t aged long. In the 1800s, some cordials were also used as family medicine. A few of the cordial recipes below are rather unusual. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS MINT CORDIAL Pick the mint early in the morning while the dew is on it. Do not bruise it. Pour some water over it and then drain it off….
Summer squashes are picked before they’re mature. The rind is thin and edible, and you can also eat the seeds. But summer squashes can’t be stored like winter squashes. Some summer squashes in the U.S. are: Pattypan squash Crookneck squash Straightneck squash Zucchini (courgette) RECIPES BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: BOILED SUMMER SQUASHIf the rind is tender, boil it whole in a little bag kept for the purpose. It should be put into boiling water. Three quarters of an hour is…
I have occasionally seen fresh pigs’ feet and pickled pigs’ feet in grocery stores., although I’ve never tried either one. In the 1800s, pigs’ feet were cheap and eaten mostly by poor households. Although they were more popular in the South, they were also eaten nationwide. Boiling and pickling the feet helped preserve them before refrigeration was available. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS FRIED PIGS’ FEET Thoroughly burn all the hairs off with a poker heated to a white heat….
Without electric refrigeration, people had to find various ways to keep meat fresh, especially in summer. Some methods could keep it fresh a few days or perhaps a week, and other methods could preserve it for much longer. These techniques are interesting, but they don’t follow today’s food safety advice. And of course, today we are fortunate to have home refrigerators and freezers. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO KEEP MEAT FRESH Where persons live a distance from market and…
Cooks in the 1800s used bitter almonds to flavor dessert recipes, but they were cautious in using them. That’s because bitter almonds contain cyanide and are toxic if eaten raw. Cooking removes their toxicity, though. Sweet almonds are the edible almonds you usually buy in grocery stores, and are safe to eat raw or cooked. Bitter almonds are not sold for consumption in the U.S., although they are still available in many other countries, especially in Europe and parts of…
Bread was an important addition to most meals, and biscuits were especially popular for breakfast. All breads and biscuits had to be made from scratch. In addition, people cooked in wood burning stoves, which had no temperature gauge. You had to learn how to regulate the heat of coals and firewood for whatever you were baking. Cooking times were rarely provided for the same reason. Baking was definitely a skill to be learned through trial and error. INFORMATION BELOW FROM…
Black walnuts are native to the eastern and midwestern U.S. The English walnut wasn’t cultivated in the U.S. until around 1870, in California. Black walnuts have a different taste from Engish walnuts. I especially like black walnut ice cream, and I use them in baked goods or add them to my homemade trail mix. Black walnuts grow with a green outer coating on them. This coating has to be removed before the hard nut inside can be reached. The outer…
The only seafood salad I’ve eaten has been purchased in the deli department at a grocery store. It’s the type of salad that is made from “fake crab” and has a mayonnaise base. I like it a lot. I don’t know that I’d like all of these fish and seafood salads that came from 1800s cookbooks, but I’d like to try some of them. RECIPES BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS FISH SALADBoil four flounders, or any medium sized fish. When done,…