I never tasted a soup made from fruit until a couple of years ago. I was at a local restaurant in southern Illinois, and they had cantaloupe soup on the menu. Since I like to try new things, I ordered it and was surprised at how good it was. Many of the recipes below are from Mrs Mary Wilson’s Cookbook published 1920. Even though this blog is based on 1800s cookbook recipes, I thought you might like to try…
Salsify (oyster plant) was a popular vegetable in the 1800s, but people didn’t seem to use it much in the 1900s. Salsify is supposed to taste slightly like an oyster, but some people say it tastes more like an artichoke. You use the roots of salsify just like parsnips or carrots. Peel or scrape the outside and then you can boil, bake, or fry it. Many people add it to soups and stews. There’s also a similar plant called Scorzonera…
I had never heard of sweetbreads until I began reading old cookbooks. Sweetbreads are what the thymus gland or pancreas of a calf or lamb are called. Offal or organ meats are the parts of the animal that are not muscle. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO PREPARE SWEETBREADS The sweetbread belonging to the breast of the calf is far superior to that which is found about the throat, being larger, whiter, more tender, and more delicate. Always buy them…
To keep food cold In the 1800s, wooden boxes lined with tin or zinc and insulated with various materials. These boxes were called “refrigerators” until the modern electric refrigerator was developed. Then they were referred to as “iceboxes.” In 1915, the electric household refrigerator was introduced in the US, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that the market began to grow. This was due to a new refrigerant, Freon, which made them more reliable. By the 1930s, the average American…
Back in the 1800s, tomatoes were a seasonal food since there was no refrigeration. People could only have tomatoes out of season by canning, drying, or making them into preserves. I rarely buy canned soups, but I make my own tomato soup when fresh tomatoes are available at farmer’s markets. The recipe for tomato croquettes sounds interesting, too. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: TOMATOES Tomatoes are a fruit vegetable that may be either cooked or prepared raw. While tomatoes appeal…
In the 1800s, people could only eat food in season unless they preserved it. Around 1860, home canning become popular because a tin smith, John L. Mason invented a glass jar with a threaded lip and a reusable metal lid: the Mason Jar. This new canning jar allowed people to safely can fruit, pickles, relishes, and sauces like ketchup. However, canning low-acid vegetables and meat was still too dangerous. SOURCE INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PICKLING TOMATOES Scald* and peel a…
A pig’s head can by baked, roasted, boiled, and stewed. It can be served whole or halved, or made into head cheese, souse, or other recipes. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS BAKED PIG’S HEAD Split the pig’s head into halves and sprinkle them with pepper and salt. Lay them with the rind part uppermost upon a bed of sliced onions in a baking dish. Next, bruise eight ounces of stale bread crumb and mix it with four ounces of chopped…
Peanuts are the cheapest nuts to buy, for the reason that they are not really nuts but legumes. Peanuts contain a good deal of oil, and for this reason are recommended for consumptives. The peanut is also recommended as a cure for indigestion. Almost any kind of nut will cure the habitual indigestion induced by “bolting” the food, if only it be chewed until it is liquid. INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO BLANCH PEANUTS To blanch Spanish peanuts the usual…