EARLY RECIEPTS
With the holidays just around the corner, November starts us to think about all kinds of foods. A great period for those who love to cook and experiment with new recipes. But, have you ever thought about the kinds of foods that were made in Early America?
What we now call recipes, were then called reciepts. And these reciepts were written in paragraph form (mostly), not as we would normally write one out today. It makes for quite different reading, and you really do need to read the entire reciept through for your ingredients list. The following pieces are actual reciepts from old cookbooks- dated from the late 1700's to the mid 1800's. Included with the pieces, are the bibliographies for the books, should you want to find copies for your own collection.
The reciepts selceted were based on foods that would be holiday staples, just in case anyone wanted to try something out. (A couple are very recognizable! The process hasn't changed.) And if you do, let me know how it turned out for you.
Please Note: These reciepts are written just has they are in the origional book, errors and all.
Hale, Sarah Josepha,"The Good Housekeeper", Otis-Broaders, Boston: 1841.
"TO ROAST A TURKEY- Make a stuffing like that for veal; or take a tea-cup of sausage meat and add a like quantity of bread crumbs, with the beaten yolk of two eggs-then fill the crop; dredge the turkey over with flour, lay it before the fire, taking care this is most on the stuffed part, as that requires the greatest heat. A strip of paper may be put on the breast bone to prevent its scorching. Baste with a little butter or salt and water at first, then with its own drippings. A little before it is taken up, dredge it again with flour, baste with butter and froth it up. A larger turkey requires full three hours' roasting- a smaller one in proportion. Ham or tongue is usually eaten with turkey; stewed cranberries also."
"MASHED POTATOES- When old, potatoes are best boiled and mashed with a little butter, salt, cream or milk."
"SQUASH is a rich vegetable, particularly the yellow winter squash. This requires more boiling than the summer kind. Pare it, cut in pieces, take out the seeds and boil it in a very little water til it is quite soft. Then press out all the water, mash it and add a little butter, pepper and salt."
"APPLE SAUCE- In the country, it is thought almost as indispensable to provide the stock of apple sauce for winter use as the pork; and there is no doubt of the healthiness
