Food History

I promised you a second post, and here it is. It’s a bit more than a simple cookbook, but it’s from the US and around the same date as the vegetarian cookbook.

There are a thousand stories hidden in this volume. The Lady Managers of the World’s Columbian Exposition sound so much a particular part of that place and time. Expositions and the late nineteenth century, women who organise for the betterment of humanity, and a whole lot more. One day I need to find out more about this book and the Lady Managers who put it together. Though I do wonder if an “Alternate Lady Manager” is a lady only sometimes and what she is the rest of the time?

Favorite dishes. (more…)

For a different type of fried food, let’s look at Cassell’s Vegetarian Cookery. A manual of cheap and wholesome diet. It was written by A.G. Payne and was published in 1891. It’s very much a book of the Commonwealth, rather than the US. There are some major differences in ingredients (oil instead of animal fat for frying, for instance – the simple response to this is “But it’s a vegetarian cookbook”. The thing is, though, that I’ve seen US vegetarian recipes from the same period that still use animal fat) and Payne is very full of explanations that tell us exactly how innovations affect recipes (the general techniques for sweet fritters says it all).

I’m so fascinated by the US/UK differences that I think I might do another post today, just so that you can see US and UK nineteenth century recipes back to back, and draw your own conclusions.

Piroski Sernikis (more…)

I ought to get some sleep because it’s midnight and I’m teaching early and have a meeting straight afterwards, but I was just revising the little collection of recipes I made for Chanukah. The estimable Hannah Woolley, who published The Gentlewoman’s Companion: or, A Guide to the Female Sex in 1675 has a recipe called “Mullets Fried.” I’ve always wondered what happened to the mullets of the ’70s. Now I know.

“Scale, draw, and scotch them, after washing wipe them dry, and stowre them, fry them in Clarified Butter; being fried, put to them some Claret-wine sliced Ginger, grated Nutmeg, and Anchovee, Salt, and sweet Butter beaten up thick, but first rub the dish with a Clove of Garlick: Chuse the least Mullets to fry.”

I bet I don’t use that heading in eight days time.

It’s first night Chanukah tonight and I’ve been give Chanukah presents by a niece and a friend and I feel all seasonal and warm and friendly. Some of the warmth may be due to the fact that it’s still summer in Australia, of course, but I’ve lit candles and sung my little song and eaten fried food and now I need to give presents to all of you. (more…)

I’ve decided I really love being a (small) part of Project Blog. What’s not to love? I get to share recipes with deserving people, and fellow-bloggers say really nice things about me in an effort to induce you to win my recipes (go there and see!).

I feel I ought to say ‘mwa-ha-ha’ instead of ‘welcome,’ though, to all Project Blog folks who are dropping in to suss out winning historical facts. I’ve been in contemplative mood these last few days so you all have to read back a bit. Unless your useful fact is that I’ve fooled the world and don’t actually have a sense of humour? Or that Aussies don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. We could roast a turkey in honour of this Saturday’s Federal election, I guess, except that not a soul is going to want to roast a turkey with the outside temperature being thirty-five degrees. (trust me, you don’t want that in Fahrenheit.)

So, what food history am I giving to you today? (more…)

I’m a terribly lucky person. I have a virus that just doesn’t want to go away.

The trouble is that I have a busy three days and managing the aches and grump on top of work means that today and tomorrow you’ll get two more easy posts from me. Easy posts mean good recipes, so there’s nothing bad in that. Tonight’s recipe is from my grandmother, tomorrow I’ll find you something less Australian and less modern.

It’s not long until Christmas, so the recipe tonight is a Christmas Pudding made by a Jewish family (more…)

Tonight my mind is in the 1960s. last night my mind was in the 1960s, too. I was at a birthday party, and the theme was ‘Swinging Sixties.’ Party themes mean party food.

We had sort-of sixties food amidst much talk of Dr Who (and a half sized blow-up TARDIS) – I let Calliope know about the Dr Whoness and she’s current dreaming of her own blow-up TARDIS. If anyone knows where to find one, please visit her blog and let her know.

What food fits the modern Canberran idea of the sixties? (more…)

It’s been a big week and I’m tired. I still have a couple of posts I promised you, and I will get to them, just not tonight. Tonight I’m going to post the usual thing I post when all I want to do is curl up in a corner and take a nap: recipes from my grandmother.

It’s a good time of year for these recipes. Firstly, it’s autumn in northerly climes, and the snap to the air (if it hasn’t come yet, it will) ought to be getting you in the mood for leisurely afternoon teas. In Australia it’s that frantic end-of-year-get- everything-done-before-the-heat-takes-over -and-turns-us-all-somnolent time. We need to slow down enough to remember that life is worth cherishing. Time to slow down and have time with friends. This requires leisurely afternoon teas. For leisurely afternoon teas you need cakes.
(more…)

Today, some Halloween foodways (and a view of Mountain Creek Farm, because I’ve been indoors all day).

Most people who replied to my pleas said “there are no Halloween foodways.”

Three people gave us their Halloween stories. (more…)

My household has strange customs. Saying ‘my household has strange customs’ is much better than admitting that I myself have strange customs. (more…)

Even with the time difference between Australia and the US it isn’t Halloween here yet. I saw a few Halloween candles in my favourite candle shop today (when I need cheering up and chocolate won’t do it, I buy candles). Everywhere else is already selling Christmas stuff.

It got me thinking. Halloween wasn’t around here at all when I was a child. It has entered Australia in recent years mostly via pop culture. This means that most Australians only know (to be honest) limited amounts about Halloween. We especially know what horror movies and Buffy and US chat shows have to say about it. The only food associations I have are empty pumpkins and bags of sweets.

I’d like to know more, and, given there are readers of Food History on every continent except Antarctica, I rather suspect I‘m not alone.

North American readers, if you could tell me about favourite foods (and recipes!) from your childhoods and tell us all how you celebrate Halloween in your family, I’ll compile all your thoughts and post something on 31 October. If no-one gives me any cool anecdotes or great recipes or sad and sorry stories, then I’ll make something up.

Drabbit, I can’t even say ‘make something up’ without feeling guilty. I write fiction elsewhere, why not on this blog?! OK. I shall avoid that feeling of being harried by my historian’s conscience and I shall refrain from making anything up. If I don’t get anecdote and history I’ll link to it elsewhere on the web, or explore my book collection, or something. I can guarantee that the stories from you and your home recipes will be way cooler than anything my google fu will provide.

You can contact me by clicking on “Contact me” under the “About Food History” box, or by leaving comments in the comments section. You have until October 30. There are no prizes this time - the reward is showing the rest of us what actually happens in US families over Halloween. Just think, you could be correcting the historical record in the minds of vast hordes of people!

PS The picture doesn’t reflect Halloween. Candles and Anatolian kilims go together in my mind, so it’s purely for my own comfort. Tomorrow I shall be less in need of either candles or kilims because I’m off to a farmers’ market. Yippee!

Today I was extraordinarily lucky. Thanks to the kindness of a friend, I helped celebrate Spain’s National Day. (more…)

The banquet was a raging success. I have had so many verbal reports from so many people, plus a queue of people who want to join the testing ranks for next year. We don’t have a theme yet for next year, but when we do, the whole process starts again. I ought to be terrified, but I am just excited.

Just under 90 people turned up. A whole heap of them were in costume (including Garth Nix, as promised) and most of us were photographed. When someone puts the photos online, I’ll link.

After the 2 courses that were served at table, we adjourned to the foyer and I took over a half hour to eat my desserts, simply because everyone had so many questions to ask. After that, I was kept there another hour or so by more questions. More and more came up during the following days, and everyone was deeply enthusiastic about it. This is an historian’s dream.

This post is mainly to tell you what instructions the chef was given. In the following posts (each day till I run out of recipes, though I might take a break in the middle) you’ll find my recipes and notes on what the differences between the home cooked versions (from the testing) and the chef’s interpretation were. (more…)

My mother surprised us all by using two different honeycake recipes this year - and neither of them are family ones. Five family recipes are languishing, lost and forlorn. Well, four, really, since I gave you my personal favourite the night before last.

If anyone has a honeycake rcipe the world needs to know, I’d be happy to act as a conduit, lest more old recipes get lost. I promise I will put the requisite work in to find the actual written recipes for the forlorn ones - I just won’t have time to do it for a bit.

While you wait, let me introduce you to one of the new ones, which comes from Lox, Stocks & Bagels. Australian Gourmet Kosher Cookbook (Women Caring for Women Australia, 1994)

Special Honey Cake

500 g honey
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
500 g walnuts
1 packet mixed peel
1/2 cup sultanas
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbs rum
juice 1 lemon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups plain flour

Mix the first four ingredients thoroughly. To the mixture add the walnuts, mixed peel, sultanas. mixed spice, rum, lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda dissolved in boiling water. Mix well, Gradually add plain flour. Bake for 1 hour in greased paperlined tin at 350 degrees F.

This is a variant of the same cake that I gave earlier in the week - my mother has gravitated towards a recipe that’s like a family recipe, which is interesting. The other possibility is that the two recipes come from an ur-recipe. They’re both products of the Melbourne Jewish community, after all. If I ever find that ur-recipe, I promise I’ll tell you all about it.

The theory was fine, but I’ve lost my grandmother’s recipe. In fact, I’ve mislaid my whole secret notebook of amazing recipes from all round the globe. IOU another honeycake recipe. And I need to find that notebook when life normalises.

Instead, let me share with you my family’s favourite evil honeycake trick. It works for all varieties. When you do this to small cubes of cake they can last for months… as long as you hide them somewhere cool and dry.

Make square cakes. Cut them into cubes maybe an inch or two inches square. Get the very best dark kosher chocolate and melt it gently in a double boiler. Dip the cubes of cake in the chocolate, turning them over with toothpicks. You want to leave no holes. Leave to dry on greaseproof paper on a tray in the refrigerator.

If you make these, your year will be very good and very sweet indeed!

honey cake, Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, chocolate