Cup Cake

Some early cakes, such as "Queen's Cakes" [ more info here] were baked in small containers such as cups or small pans.   The name could have come from the measured ingredients 1,2,3,4 cups of butter, sugar, flour and 4 eggs. Much more information and recipes below...

What's Cooking Uncle Sam? exhibit at National Archives DC

What's Cooking Uncle Sam?  was an exhibit at the National Archives in Washington DC.  The Archives just hired a "Wikipedian in Residence"...

Food History Symposium, Workshop - 2011 - part 3

4 events...

Easter Monday egg roll, egg cracking & throwing

Cracking eggs competition in 1836 New York, a White House Egg Roll of 1874, and English Monday egg games in early 1800 are detailed.  Eggs have been decorated for centuries, with some intricate or memorable examples "preserved very carefully in the corner-cupboard ; each egg being the occupant of a deep, long-stemmed ale-glass...

Cries of London on fore-edge painting

Wheatley's picture of a street seller carrying strawberries in pottles is actually on the fore-edge of a book of poems by William Cowper.  What's even more remarkable is there is a different picture if seen from back to front.

Food History Symposiums 2011 part 2

4 symposiums

Queen Cakes and patty-pans

Queen's Cakes are little pound cakes with currants baked in small fluted pans.
So how did they get the name  - was there a particular Queen? Petty or Patty Pans could be large or small, china or tin, and huge numbers. Recipes given for the cake and icing...

Beaten Corn Bread

While writing my research on Beaten Biscuits, I came across a recipe for Beaten Corn Bread, from WW1.  I have made beaten biscuits, but have not tried it using cornmeal.  It seems hard to believe cornmeal would work as the gluten in wheat does when beaten... 

Food History Symposiums 2011

3 food symposiums

Ramps

Now is the time of year that Ramps begin to appear, and ramp festivals abound in West Virginia and surrounding mountain areas.  For a list of festivals and dinners go HERE , which also has links to information, recipes, etc.  An article on digging ramps is HERE .

Maple sugar - Tapping the trees

Sugar Maple trees were tapped in several ways over the centuries as seen the the following excerpts.  the 17th cen gash, the spout and troughs, 1792, and 19th century spiles...

Spun Sugar

Sugar was heated to "the crack" stage, then from a fork or spoon "rapidly throw it to and fro..." into some elaborate structures...

Lincoln's inauguration meals

After Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration on March 4, 1861, he may have dined on Mock Turtle Soup, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Parsley Potatoes and Blackberry Pie.  Mock Turtle Soup is actually made from a calf's head, as seen in the recipe from Eliza Leslie's Directions for Cookery, below.  Mrs. Lincoln owned a copy of this book.

President's cakes, pies, jumbles and pudding

Numerous recipes have been named to honor the Presidents including Washington Cakes, which were discussed in a previous posting HERE. Period recipes for Washington Pie, Madison Cake, Jackson Jumbles, Harrison Cake, Tyler Pudding, and Lincoln Cake are given below.  ...

Washington Cake

There were at least three types of Washington Cakes in cookbooks - with raisins and currants, with soda and brandy, and with yeast. In 1838, a confectionery store displayed a Washington cake which they claimed weighed twenty-six hundred pounds. ...

Maple sugaring - 1792

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Rush's fascinating pamphlet An Account of the Sugar Maple-tree, of the United States, and of the methods of obtaining Sugar from it, which may be viewed HERE or at the Library of Congress.

Sugar Production, Sugar Mills, Sugar Plantations

A series of period images show the cutting of the sugar cane, various types of sugar mills on the plantations  (powered by oxen and others by water wheel).  Then the syrup was boiled down in cauldrons then into cones.

Chocolate making equipment

Many period pictures and modern photographs show original and reproduction tools to make chocolate - roaster, metate, and chocolate pots.  Quotes from old books describe the process, and modern suggestions are given in the following post.

Sugar Chest, Sugar Desk, Sugar Table

For bulk sugar storage, some beautiful pieces of furniture were made, particularly in the south.  Links to some detailed online articles [see below]. SUGAR CHEST at left.

Mustard Flour, Mustard Pots, Mustard Casters

After 1720, the processing of the mustard seeds in a mill resulted in a fine flour - the flower of mustard - known commercially as Durham Mustard. Interesting story is below.  Later, when the processing moved to Leeds, the name Durham was retained. The mustard was sold as dry powder or as a "paste"...