HISTORICAL
RECIPES OF N. AMERICA
_________________________________
As
promised here are a few recipes we’ve
found. From the time of the colonies and through the Indian
Wars most recipes home brewed and passed on by
word of one to another and only a few were written down. A word
of caution,
measurements have changed over the years as products improved;
(ex. yeast of old compared to today, half the amount is
required.)
Sugar Buns (colonies)
Take 3/4 of a pound of
sifted flour, (2) large spoonfuls of brown sugar, (2)
spoonfuls of good yeast, add a little salt, stir well together
and when risen work in (2) spoonfuls of butter, make into
buns, set to rise again and bake until a golden brown on tins.
Mrs. Berkshire,New Lady’s
Cook Book,1731
Soda Biscuits (F & I
War)
(1) quart of sour milk,
(1) teaspoonful of soda, (1) teaspoonful of salt, a piece of
butter the size of an egg and enough flour to make them roll
out. Bake on a clean rock or flat plate until they are brown.
Ranger’s Journal (un-named) 17xx ?
Yeast Biscuits (Rev.
War)
Take (2) quarts of
flour, (2) ounces of butter, half pint of boiling water, (1)
teaspoonful of salt, (1) pint of cold milk and half cup of
yeast. Mix well and set to rise, then mix a teaspoonful of
saleratus in a little water and mix into dough, roll on a
board an inch thick, cut into small biscuits and bake twenty
minutes.
Sgt.Major
A.N.Berwyn,Paoli News,1776
Tarter Biscuits (War of
1812)
Take (1) quart of flour,
(3) teaspoonfuls of cream of tarter, mixed well through the
flour, (2) teaspoonfuls of shortening, (1) teaspoonful of
soda, dissolved in warm water, of a sufficient quantity to
mold the quart of flour. For the large families the amount can
be doubled. un-named, New York Regulars,1810
Reb Bread (Civil War)
(1) quart of butter
milk, (1) quart of corn meal, (1) quart of coarse flour, (1)
cup of molasses, add a little soda and salt. Bake until tan in
color. 1862
Lt.Samuel
L.Brown,Pennsylvania Regulars,
Yeastless Bread (Indian
Wars)
Mix in your flour
subcarbonate of soda, (2) parts, tartaric acid (1) part, both
finely powered. Mix up your bread with warm water, adding but
a little at a time and then bake until brown.
Mr.John Cottingly,Kansas
City News,1881
Fry Fish (Indian Wars)
Fry fish in hot lard or
beef drippings, or you may use equal parts of lard and butter;
butter alone takes out the sweetness and gives a bad color.
Fried parsley, grated horse radish, or lemon are used as a
garnish. Mrs.Crowen,Every Lady’s Cookbook,1854 PAGE 17
Johnny Cakes
Popular with troops of
most every war that has been in N. America, William Clark
wrote about them at Fort Osage years after the westward
movement started.
Take (1/2) a cup of
sugar, (1 1/2) teaspoonfuls of soda, butter the size of an
egg, (1) cup of yellow corn meal, (1) egg, (1) cup of white
flour, (1 1/2) cups of sour cream or buttermilk and a pinch of
salt. Grease a flat pan, bake in a field oven, medium heat,
check when they start to brown.
The Book of Recipes,1837
Buckwheat Cakes
(1) quart of buckwheat
flour, (1) gill of wheat flour, (1) quart - less (1) gill of
warm water, (1) gill of yeast, (2) teaspoonfuls of salt. Mix
the batter at night in order to have the cakes for breakfast;
if very light, an hour before they are required stir the
batter down and let it rise again. Bake the cakes on a smooth,
nicely-greased griddle and send them to the table the moment
they are baked, piled regularly in the middle of the plate.
Left over batter will serve as yeast for the next baking;
store in a cool place, but don’t let it freeze if in a
winter camp. Bring it out at night, add buckwheat, etc., and
leave it to rise. With a little care no fresh yeast will be
necessary for the winter.
Recipe origin is
unknown.,18xx ?
Lenape Pemmican (makes 1
1/2 lbs)
(5) oz. of chipped
beef, (1) 6 1/2 oz. of roasted peanuts, (1) cup of seedless
raisins, (1) 8 oz. bar of beef suet, make a quick trail lunch
/ high energy.
Dry beef on a cookie
sheet for 20 minutes @ 140 degree oven, chop nuts and raisins
up into small pieces, melt suet in a large skillet - low heat.
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (beef cut in 1/4”
shreds), add melted suet - mix thoroughly. Spread mixture in
half inch layer in shallow pan, refrigerate until the layer is
hard and then slice into squares. Wrapped in foil, bars stay
clean and fresh, will keep for a year in freezer.
This was rewritten in
the 1930’s for use in a hunting camp in Pennsylvania, the
original 1840’s recipe has been lost in the passage of time.
L.N.Conner,Jr.,Milroy,Pa.,1937
Boiled Fish (colonies)
Take the nicer fish,
more simply it should be prepared. A long , narrow fish
skillet with a rack is the best to boil fish in, but even a
deep frying pan and a cheesecloth sling, which lets you remove
the fish from the water without breaking, will do. Start the
fish in cold water, with salt and vinegar in it, or in cold
court bouillon. Bring it slowly to a boil and simmer gently
until just done, 8 to 10 minutes to the pound. Serve hot, with
lemon wedges or a tart sauce.
Mrs.North,Home Cook
Book,1721
Court Bouillon (F &
I War)
Court Bouillon is used
for boiling fresh water fish or others which are without much
flavor. It may be prepared before hand and used several times,
or the vegetables may be added at the time the fish is boiled.
Fry in (1) tablespoonful
of butter, (1) chopped onion, (1) chopped carrot, (1) stalk of
celery. Then add (2) quarts of hot water, (1) cup of vinegar
or wine, (3) peppercorns, (3) cloves, (1) bay-leaf and (1)
teaspoonful of salt. This is a good base for seafood soup
according to the local tavern owners. Mr.L.C.Connor,Phila
Bulletin,1718
Fish Moultee (Rev. War
& War of 1812)
Take any nice fish,(roll
it in) egg, bread crumb and fry it with a little turmeric and
butter, after cutting it to a nice fillet. Scrape half a fresh
coconut, take the milk from it (or soak dried coconut a couple
of hours in a little warm water, then use the water), cut some
green gringer, green chilies in slices, boil them with the
coconut milk and a little water. Add the fish and let stew
until the sauce is slightly thickened. Send to the table with
rice.
Col.John
Johnson,N.England Gazzett,1782
Fry Fish (Civil War)
Fillets of fish may be
rolled in corn meal, dredged in flour, dipped first in beaten
egg and then in fine bread crumbs, or fried plain. Small fish
or small pieces of fish may be dipped in batter and deep
fried. For deep frying, the fat should be moderately hot; for
sautéing, the pan should be hot but not smoking. Lay the fish
in and fry it according to size and thickness, about 10
minutes per pound. Turn it only once. Serve it with slices of
lemon.
Pvt.S.B.Boyer,Union
Army,Ohio,1866
Johnny Soup
This was a common soup
and a favorite of the “Bucktails” of Pennsylvania and
Gen.A. Wayne’s Lennie Lenape (Delaware) scouts.
(8) oz. dried lentils,
(3) cups water, (1) chopped onion, (1/2) teaspoonful of black
pepper and (2) cloves of garlic. Salt to taste, fry bacon
pieces - add to taste. Johnny cakes or biscuits cut into small
cubes for a filler. Add nuts, rye or rice to make it go
farther. Wash and clean lentils, put in a large pot to cook
with (3) cups of water (cover lentils by an inch). Medium heat
/ add garlic, onion and pepper, let simmer for one hour. Add
bacon pieces and salt to taste. Put cubes into broth at time
of serving. If adding rice or rye cook until they are soft.
Sgt.John
Yellowman,Lenape,1761
Pennsylvania Gazzet,1765
Smith Bean Soup
Smith bean soup with red
onion strips and a tart apple (sliced into small
pieces) work great. The Rev. War cooks used Granny Smith or
Winesap apples, when available, in many of their dishes, an
attempt to break up an otherwise bland diet for Officers and
the Enlisted men.
Lenape Cookbook,1781
Gourd Soup (Civil War)
The gourds should be
full-grown, but not those with hard skin; slice three or four,
and put them in a stew pot, with (2) or (3) onions and a good
bit of butter; set them over a slow fire till quite tender (be
careful not to under cook). Stir to keep from sticking to
sides of pot and make sure the soup is well done, season as
needed.
Mrs.Ellet,The Practical
Housekeeper,1857
Boiled Duck or Hare
(colonies - War of 1812)
Use a good deal of water
and skim it as often as anything rises. Half an hour will boil
them. Make a gravy of sweet cream, butter, add flour, a little
parsley chopped small, salt and pepper, and stew until done,
and lay them in a dish and pour the gravy over them.
Mrs.Owen,New Lady’s
Cook Book,1759
Roast Rabbit or Hare
(18th & 19 century)
Rabbit or hare was an
esteemed dish in the 18th and 19th century, so much so that
cooks occasionally doctored beef to try to make it taste like
hare.
After casing (skinning
& gutting) two rabbits, skewer their heads with their
mouths upon their backs, stick their forelegs into their ribs,
skewer the hind legs doubled (this approved position in which
19th century rabbits appeared at the table); next make a
stuffing for them of the crumbs of half a loaf of bread, a
little parsley, sweet marjoram and thyme-all cut fine, salt,
pepper and nutmeg, with (4) ounces of butter, a little good
cream and (2) eggs; put it into their bodies, and sew them up;
dredge and baste them well with lard; roast them about an
hour. Serve them up with butter and parsley. Chop the livers,
and lay them in lumps around the edge of the dish. (serves
4-6). Harpers Barzaar Magazine,1853
Note: a rabbit and a
hare are different, according to Harpers Magazine, a rabbit
being raised and a hare being wild. Wild hares in some areas
are reported to have a disease and may be harmful if eaten.
Harpers’ 1853
Bear Hams (Indian Wars)
Bear meat is best
roasted and may be treated the same as pork, cooking twenty
minutes to every pound. Prepare the hams in the usual manner
by rubbing them with common salt and draining them; Take (1)
ounce of saltpeter, half a pound of coarse sugar and the same
quantity of salt; rub it well into the ham, and in three days
pour a pint of vinegar over it. A fine foreign flavor may also
be given to the bear hams by pouring old strong beer over them
and burning juniper wood while they are drying; molasses,
juniper berries and highly-flavored herbs, such as basil,
sage, bay-leaves and thyme mingled together, and the hams well
rubbed with it, using only a sufficient quantity of salt to
assist in the cure, will afford an agreeable variety.
Mrs.Roper,Phila Cook
Book,1886
Venison Steaks
Take nice size steaks
from the neck or haunch while having your griddle well
buttered, and fire clear and hot (cook in a hot frying pan).
Lay steaks on the bars and boil rapidly, turning often not to
lose or a drop of juice. They will take three or four minutes
longer than fine beef steaks. Have a chafing dish, a pinch of
salt, a little pepper,a tablespoon of currant-jelly for every
pound, and a glass of wine for every (4) pounds. This should
be liquid, and warmed by boiling water under a dish, heat in a
saucepan. Lay each steak in the mixture and turn over twice.
Cover closely and let all heat together, with fresh hot water
underneath-serve in an ordinary dish, covered.
Mrs.Webster,The Improved
Housewife,1854
AN OLD
TRAPPER WITH DOG AND RIFLE by Frederic Remington.