Sunday, August 21, 2022

Barn-door Fowl and Dunghill Fowl - Chickens

There were many breeds of chickens but the 'plain' common ones around the farm were termed Dunghill fowl (Markham 1614) and Barn door fowl.
A concise, clever description and the image is from 1900. Recipe from 1829 and other excerpts, below.



"The Barn-door Fowl
The Barn-door Fowl does not often live to a great age, but her life, although short, is a very merry one. She is provided with a comfortable home, in which she can cackle to her heart’s content, without fear of being snapped up by her enemy the fox; and every day she receives an ample supply of corn, to say nothing of worms, cabbage-stumps, cold potatoes, and other luxuries. In return for all this she is only asked to lay a fair number of eggs for our breakfast. If she will not do this, of course the consequences are serious."
Moore-Park, Carton. A Book of Birds. London: 1900.

"Fowls roasted.
Serve with egg-sauce, bread-sauce, or garnished with sausages or scalded parsley.
A large barn-door fowl, well hung, should be stuffed in the crop with sausage-meat; and served with gravy in the dish, and with bread-sauce. The head should be turned under the wing as a turkey."
Rundell, Maria Eliza Ketelby. The experienced American housekeeper, or, Domestic cookery. Hartford: 1829

"Dunghill Fowl.
This is a mongrel, though a common and most useful breed. It arises from crossing with all sorts of varieties, and can therefore be characterized by few distinctive marks, but partakes more or less of the properties of the parent birds from which it sprung. The best are of middle size, of dark colour, with white and clean legs. White fowl are of weak constitution, and are seldom good layers. In fattening for the table, light coloured chickens should therefore first receive their doom."
Boswell, Peter. The poultry-yard… NY: 1841

"The first use of the term “dunghill fowl” that we have been able to discover is by Gervasse Markham, whose work entitled Cheape and Good Husbandry… 1614. …he uses it in a way that suggests it was common. From his description the color of the bird’s plumage was red, probably following that of the game fowl, which, being bred for fighting purposes, would have considerable influence in molding the type of common fowl in the country."
“The Old-fashioned Fowl” by Edward Brown in The Country Gentleman. March 2, 1912

Dunghill Fowl of Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland (1634- ) post by Dr. Henry Miller, which also shows photos of egg shells remarkably found in excavations. HERE

Chicken ladders (image c1520), chicken baskets, coops in kitchens blog posts HERE

Chicken on a string recipes HERE

THIS WEEK'S TALKS

Au 23 Tue 2-3:30 American Innovation: The Steamboat and the Age of Industry. “ushered in an age of unprecedented economic growth in the United States, as goods that were previously able to be shipped only slowly over land or one-way down America's rivers could now be shipped much more efficiently.” Kevin Crisman, Robert Gudmestad, Paul Johnston, Matthew Schulte. The National Association of Scholars HERE TAPE may be HERE

Au 24 Wed 8 What Ewe Always Wanted to Know About Lamb Farming In The U.S. John and Sukey Jamison, owners, Jamison Farm, Latrobe, Pa. authors of Coyotes in the Pasture and Wolves at the Door. (recipes and reminiscences). Culinary Historians of Chicago HERE

Au 25 Thu 6:30 A Taste of Old Colony History. “clam chowder from scratch and pairing it with homemade common crackers” Old Colony History Museum HERE TAPE may be HERE

Au 25 Thu 7 Eating While Black author Dr. Psyche A. Williams-Forson. Source Booksellers HERE TAPE may be HERE

Au 28 Sun 3:30-5 Taste of South Asia: Nepali Peda (Milk Candy). Cultured Kids Cuisine HERE

Au 28 Sun 5 Dinner al Fresco: The History of Outdoor Dining. Francine Segan. Context Learning $26.50 HERE

Au 31 Wed 5:45AM TOMATINA, Aka the Tomato-Throwing Festival in Buñol, Spain since 1945. Heygo HERE

Au 31 Wed 3:30 Daily Life in Ancient Egypt. “Agriculture, food and drinks, arts, music and dancing, and religious offerings.” Khaled K. World Virtual Tours HERE


CALENDAR OF VIRTUAL FOOD HISTORY TALKS HERE

©2022 Patricia Bixler Reber
Researching Food History HOME




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