I’ve seen a whole fish for sale in grocery stores, but not just the fish’s head. I never heard of a fish sound and didn’t even know they had tongues. The things I learn from reading old cookbooks! The Sound is the swim bladder of many of the bony fishes. Fish that have a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone don’t have bladders. Fish Tongues are almost always attached to the bottom of the mouth, so they don’t protrude….
In the 1800s, most fruits were only eaten while in season unless they were canned or dried. Fresh bananas and oranges were often shipped long distances, but not other fruits. 1800s cookbooks never mention eating dried fruit as a snack, like we do today. Instead, dried fruit was mostly used to flavor bread or desserts. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS VARIETIES OF DRIED FRUITS There are a number of fruits that are dried before they are put on the…
Farina is made from the germ and endosperm of hard wheat. It’s finely ground and sifted to become similar in texture to flour. Usually cooked as a hot cereal, it has a bland taste, although other ingredients are often added for flavor. Farina can also be used to make flummeries, puddings, and other dishes. Three popular brands of farina in the U.S. are Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, and Farina Mills. Click to read an interesting article on “What is Farina?” INFORMATION…
People who lived during the 1800s ate fresh fruit in season, but they needed ways to preserve fruit for other times. Apricots, nectarines and large plums were also preserved in the same ways as peaches. There are two types of peaches; freestone and clingstone and several varieties within each type. Freestone peaches are easy to eat out of hand, since the pit (stone) easily pulls away from the fruit once you bite or cut into the peach. The flesh of…
Sauces may be a little more trouble to add to a cooked meal, but they can certainly enliven a plain dish. Although we can buy ready-made or powdered packets of sauces at the grocery store, they can easily be made at home once you get the hang of it. It will not only be cheaper, but you can flavor it any way you want. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS RECIPES FOR WHITE SAUCEThree white sauces are commonly used for…
In the 1800s, milk products were not pasteurized, so cream was created by letting it rise from whole milk at room temperature. If you didn’t raise your own dairy cow, you could obtain cream by letting it rise from milk delivered by the milkman. But with no electrical refrigeration, cream didn’t remain fresh for long, so it was a luxury. Today we can buy refrigerated milk and cream at grocery stores and because they are pasteurized, they last much longer….
A poached egg is an egg that has been broken, gently slid into boiling water, and gently cooked. The egg should have a runny yolk, while the white stays attached to the egg and is thoroughly cooked. It takes skill to cook poached eggs that retain their shape and look appetizing. Poached eggs are often added to other dishes. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS POACHED EGGS If the eggs are fresh, they will look most inviting, but the way…
Making relish was a good way to preserve fruits and vegetables. Plus it added flavor to a plain meal and was especially welcome in the winter when produce was not in season. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PICKLINGFoods preserved by pickling are known as either pickles or relishes. While both products are similar in many respects, relishes are distinguished from pickles in that, as a rule, they are made up from more than one kind of fruit or vegetable…