These nut loaf recipes contain no flour. I’ve never eaten a nut loaf, but they seem to be a dense food. According to one 1800s cookbook, “A nut loaf can take the place of meat at dinner.” The first two recipes are written narrative style, which was normal during the first half of the century. Later, cookbooks began putting ingredients in a list. Since people cooked on wood burning stoves, cooking times are vague. You were supposed to know how…
A sponge or yeast starter is similar to sourdough, except a sponge is make from all fresh ingredients. A sponge is allowed to ferment and increase in volume before it is added to bread dough. In the 1800s, cooks used wood burning stoves, which had no thermometers. So not only did they have to learn how to cook various foods, they also had to learn to gauge the oven’s heat temperature. Baking was definitely an important skill! INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED…
It’s often hard to give cooked meat a good flavor, especially if it’s lean. Although it’s easy to open a packet or jar of gravy or other prepared sauces, I don’t like eating preservatives and artificial ingredients. When I make my own sauce, I know what ingredients are going into it. And if you don’t eat much meat, you might experiment and try some of these sauces on vegetables. RECIPES BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS SAUCESAll sauces should be sent…
I have a variety of spices in my kitchen but seldom use more than salt and pepper .And when I do decide to use spices, onion, garlic or other flavorings, I tend to add too much, overpowering the dish rather than enhancing it. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS When our sense of taste is not benumbed or destroyed by harmful accompaniments, we are in a condition to keenly enjoy the thousands of fine, delicate flavors that can accompany wholesome…
During the 1800s, oranges were a seasonal crop and not available year-round. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS:Oranges may be kept fresh for weeks by placing them in a vessel of cold water in a very cool cellar or ice house. Change the water every day. The usual method employed by growers for keeping these fruits is to wrap each one separately in tissue paper, and put in a cool, dry place. Another way ~~ Dry and bake some clean sand…
Rhubarb has a sharp, tart taste, but only the stalks are edible; the leaves are poisonous. Rhubarb is usually considered a vegetable, but in 1947, a New York court in the United States ruled that it counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. (Tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits). RECIPES BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS STEWED RHUBARBWhen rhubarb first comes into season it is small, tender and of a bright red color. When stewed, it…
Cookbooks in the 1800s were vague on how to heat a brick oven (and even a wood burning stove). People had to know what type of wood and what size pieces to use to make the heat needed for cooking various foods. There were no cooking thermometers in those days, so people had to learn from experience, or if they were lucky, learn from their their mother or grandmother. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO BAKE IN A BRICK OVENIf…
Back in the 1800s, codfish was plentiful along the east coast in the U.S. and cookbooks often had recipes for fish balls. Fish balls are no longer popular here, but quite common in Scandinavia, China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS COMMON FISH BALLS Pare six medium-sized potatoes and put in boiling water. Boil half an hour. Drain off all the water, turn the potatoes into a tray with one pint of finely-chopped cod fish, and…