In the 1800s, depending on where a family lived, water might come from a pipe (in cities) or from a well, cistern, creek, lake, or river. Water was often contaminated and people had to know how to make it drinkable. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS WATER AS A BEVERAGEMost foods contain water. The water present in foods, however, is not sufficient for the needs of the body. It is necessary to use water as a beverage. When one rises in…
In the days before electrical refrigeration, soups were usually made with vegetables that were in season. Preparing and cooking soup took many hours. These four seasonal soups have meat as a base for flavoring, but the meat is never left in the soup to be eaten. Because of the long, slow cooking, all of the flavor is extracted and the meat discarded. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS SPRING SOUPUnless your dinner hour is very late, the stock for this soup…
Coconuts were used to produce a variety of interesting dishes. But you couldn’t buy coconut already shredded in grocery stores. You bought the whole coconut, cracked it, and shredded it yourself.
The seeds of the maize plant, or Indian corn, are eaten as a vegetable when they are immature. They grow on a woody cob, and when they are green, they are soft and milky. But when they become ripe, they are hard and are then ground as grain.
When the contents of the kernels is still in the liquid form, the corn is at the milk stage, and generally considered to be too young for table use.
On the other hand, when the liquid in the kernels has become thickened, the corn, which is then at the dough stage, too old for use as a vegetable.
To be ideal for culinary purposes, it should be just between the milk and dough stages.
On the other hand, when the liquid in the kernels has become thickened, the corn, which is then at the dough stage, is thought to be too old for use as a vegetable.
To be ideal for culinary purposes, it should be just between the milk and dough stages. Then, if it is in good condition, a most satisfactory vegetable is the result.
Rice was a staple in many households and rice pudding was a popular dish. With many variations, it could be a breakfast dish or a dessert. There was no instant rice back in the 1800s, so rice took longer to prepare and cook.
Since eggs have the property of stiffening when heated, they are often used for thickening liquids, especially milk. Milk thickened with eggs is called custard. All milk-and-egg mixtures should be cooked below the boiling temperature of water. They should never be cooked directly over the fire, but over hot water or in a double boiler. INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ABOUT CUSTARDSIf a custard is properly cooked, the egg is in a soft-cooked condition. It exists in a jelly-like mass throughout…
Beef tongues used to be a popular dish, but I’ve never seen recipes for them in modern cookbooks. My mother said she ate tongue when she was a child, back in the 1940s, but she never cooked them when I was growing up. I’ve seen tongue for sale in grocery store meat departments, but haven’t had any desire to learn to cook it. Tongues are sold as beef or ox tongues, but they’re both the same. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s…
The selection of carrots is a simple matter because they keep well and are not likely to be found in a spoiled condition in the market. When small, summer carrots are purchased, they should be fresh and have their tops on. Winter carrots should be as nearly uniform in size as possible and should not be extremely large. Those which are too large in circumference are likely to have a hollow in the center. Carrots of any kind should be without…