Researching Food History

The sugar and vinegar makes this a sweet and sour side dish that was found in Pennsylvania Dutch and German meals. It is different from cre...

Hattie A. Colby Burr (1841-1935) compiled the fundraising book The Woman Suffrage Cookbook in 1886. While it was the first in the United...

The first cookbook written by an American was American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, An American Orphan in 1796. But who was she? Perhaps...

There have been many Medieval talks, one this month on the archaelogy of a Jewish German oven. And ofcourse upcoming talks. Image from book...

"Shrovetide, Tossing the Pancake" 1862. Pancakes and donuts (Fat Tuesday), Washington Cakes (President's Day), and Welsh Cake...

A stoneware container in a niche/hole in the hearth wall, or salt cellars kept salt "from running." Two period images, with on...

Mrs. Frances Trollope (1779-1863), the mother of Anthony Trollope, travelled and lived in the US from 1827-1831. She wrote her observation...

Terrific talk on Swiss cows move to alpine meadows (CH of Chicago). 11 panels of speakers promoting diversity of cheese, bread, seeds, oce...

It's Dry January, so here are over 25 recipes in Temperance Drinks section in Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt Book . NY: 1850. Imag...

Tidal mills cleverly run by tides, mills built on boats (famed Alexis Soyer used naval ships as a mill and bakery), windmills, mills in man...

Queen Victoria's 30 inch-diameter "Twelfth Cake," 1849, is the first of many images of Twelfth Night cakes, other food/drinks...

This 1870 artwork by George Henry Boughton depicts the visits on New Year's day - with no "wines, brandy wines, or beers" and...

"Merry Christmas to All!!" Image from Clement Moore's A Visit from Saint Nicholas. 1862 Christmas taped talks: Tudor; Vi...

This story from 1827, in The Table Book , was copied for years.

During the 1920s, dough was chilled in rolls or logs in the ice boxes, then sliced and baked. With more electric refrigerators, the variet...

Everyone took a turn to stir the Plum Pudding for Christmas. More on Stir up Sunday on blog post HERE many posts on Plum Pudding HERE ...

From 1600-1850, new intoxicants included sugar, coffee, tea, chocolate, opiates and tobacco. A talk on the Intoxicating Spaces: The Impact ...

During the Revolutionary War the Tatnall and Lea flour mills of Brandywine, by Wilmington, Delaware furnished flour to the American army. W...

Salem Gibralters, created early 1800s, still sold today. Hawthorne wrote about them - rock hard, white and wrapped in white paper. Black J...

Starting at 11pm to make the dough, nap on flour sack over the kneading board (on the trough). wake at 2am, start kneeding and forming the ...