Learn the history of this sweet rice pudding dessert published in 1863 during the American Civil War, and try the recipe yourself at home.
Newly digitized payroll receipts at the National Archives show that the enslaved were forced to tend mounds of excrement to extract saltpeter for gunpowder, aiding the Confederate fight to keep them in bondage.
This recipe for 1861 includes the history of hardtack and its importance to soldiers to the American Civil War.
Focusing on specific records to build into individual stories, this facinating book features over four hundred letters, diaries, photographs, maps, petitions, receipts, patents, amendments, and proclamations from the unparalleled holdings of the National Archives. It takes a fresh look at the war through little-known tales, seldom-seen documents, and unusual perspectives.
Macaroni and cheese is a new receipt that my Civil War reenacting group is considering trying this year. We try to find something decent that I can eat as many period meals are meat heavy and I am a vegetarian. Most recipes for "Maccaroni Cheese" from the period call for "pipe maccaroni" and Parmesan cheese. The closest thing to "pipe maccaroni" today is Bucatini. Ziti or Penne Rigate are more widely available but a bit thicker. In the Hand-book of the Useful Arts published in 1852, "MACARONI is a dough made of the flour of superfine wheat made into a pipe form, as thick as a goose-quill." In a pinch, the noodles from packaged macaroni and cheese today will work, just discard the cheese packet. Period recipes recommend that the macaroni be boiled in water, milk or a meat broth and the spices for the dish frequently include white pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, mace, and mustard It could also be made in a puff paste and baked or mixed with bits of cooked ham or bacon. It is different from modern "mac and cheese" because it was more of a seasoned butter cream sauce with cheese added instead of the entire noodle being saturated in cheese. "Maccaroni and Cheese" Recipe from Godey's Lady's Book, 1861 Ingredients: - 6 ounces Bucatini / Perciatelli Noodles ect.(2 Cups) - 1/4 Pound of Parmesan Cheese ( 1 Cup) - 1/2 Cup Milk or Cream - 1 Tablespoon Butter - Salt to taste - 2 dashes White Pepper Boil your noodles in water with a pinch of salt according to the directions on the box. It normally takes about 9-12 minutes. Once the noodles are soft, strain them in a colander and cut the noodles into pieces about 1 inch long. Place a layer of noodles in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Add layers of cheese and layers of noodles making sure that you end with layer of cheese on top. Add salt and pepper to milk. Pour milk mixture over the noodles, cut up the butter in small pieces and place over the noodles. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. If you want you can add breadcrumbs over the top before baking. **Note: White pepper was not included in the recipe from the book but is included in a similar recipe in The United States Cook Book which was published in 1856. Also keep in mind that macaroni was an imported good then and definitely not army fare. There is a receipt for it in Mary and John Spaulding's Civil War Recipes: Receipts from the Pages of Godey's Lady's Book which dates the recipe to 1861. The recipe is for "Maccaroni Cheese" and reads as follows "Boil the maccaroni in milk; put in the stewpan butter, cheese, and seasoning; when melted, pour into the maccaroni, putting breadcrums over, which brown before the fire all together." I have not found the recipe in the 1861 magazine but have found it in the October issue of 1863. This doesn't mean it was not in the 1861 magazine, because sometimes receipts in the magazine were repeated after a few years. I did find a different recipe for "Maccaroni Cheese" in the 1861 issue which I will include here. This is the recipe I used above. Why is this distinction important? Because the recipe has hit the internet for the "150 anniversary" and has been cloned and promoted on other sites as being from 1861. (This recipe is so popular it even has its own facebook page.) :D This is a good example how an error in a secondary source can become multiple errors in the history field. Does this mean that the book is horrible and no one should read it? No. It's a great book that brings a lot of great recipes together for people who can't access the real thing. It is one of my favorite books. But it does point out that you should always check your secondary sources against the real thing before you label something as fact. Everyone makes mistakes, just check to make sure you aren't amplifying a mistake. Does it mean that the online recipe is not good? Not at all and the recipe clearly states that the author took it directly from the book implying that they did not check an actual copy of Godey's Lady's Book. Their intent was clearly to provide a period recipe for the masses to make and they succeeded. It's a recipe I would make in my kitchen but not in the field. We have to be careful: stating that they "had Mac and Cheese" during the Civil War may mislead the public or new reenactors into thinking it was the same as is today.
How long could you survive on a diet of parched corn ground to a fine powder, ersatz coffee made from rye or okra, and the occasional squirrel or raccoon?
A simpler time: recreate these historical battleground recipes in your own modern kitchen.
Civil War Macaroni and Cheese - macaroni cooked in milk; no need to make sauce separately; all done in one pot.
About the Book "Designed to supply useful and economical directions in cookery, housewifery, &c., and for the camp," this important little book features 100 recipes from the Civil War era. Book Synopsis Only five copies of this receipt book are known to have survived. During the Civil War, Southerners were forced to find substitutes for the food, clothing, and other everyday household items they were used to. This important little book was "designed to supply useful and economical directions in cookery, housewifery, &c., and for the camp."
Give your child a taste of life in Civil War era America by mixing up a batch of old-fashioned cornbread, adapted from a 19th century recipe.
Looking for Civil War Recipes? Try Carolina Apple Snowballs.
If you've been following this blog for a while, you know how many cooking-type posts I've written: NONE! There is a reason for that. Ninety-six percent of the time I do not enjoy cooking. However, one-hundred percent of the time I enjoy eating, so it does become necessary if I don't want to starve. But cooking has never been something pleasurable to me. Instead, its a chore. And I don't know about you, but chores ain't no fun. Every once in a while, though, I get inspired to cook or bake something special! In my historical novel The Planter's Daughter, a story set on a Texas cotton plantation in 1859, one of the scenes involves baking a cake called Prince of Wales cake. Adella Rose, our heroine, is in the kitchen with Aunt Lu, the head house slave. They are making this cake for Natalie, the soon-to-be-mistress of Rose Hill plantation. At one point, Aunt Lu grumbles about the Prince and his "high an' mighty ways" because this cake is unlike anything she's ever made. She worries she won't get it right, thus coming under the master's displeasure, a valid concern of every slave back in those days. Ever since I wrote that scene, I've wanted to make Prince of Wales cake. Readers of The Planter's Daughter will be happy to hear yesterday was the day! First, I gathered the ingredients, all of which would have been readily available in 1859. Next, I used my trusty dusty KitchenAid mixer (which sadly would not have been readily available in 1859!) to cream together the butter and sugar of the first batter. This KitchenAid is near and dear to my heart, because my dad gave it to my mom for Christmas many years ago. I still remember how Daddy smiled and smiled when he presented it to Mom. Following the recipe just as Aunt Lu would have done, I added the other ingredients to create a light colored batter. I can almost picture Adella Rose sneaking tastes of it! Then I made the second batter, which is darker due to the molasses and spices. Now it's time to combine the two batters into one pan. Aunt Lu was confused by these instructions. She thinks they should bake two separate cakes, but Adella reminds her the recipe calls for combining the batters. I have to admit, I wondered if Aunt Lu was right, but like her, I followed the instructions to a T. The recipe called for a large fluted pan. I had a Bundt pan, so I assumed that would be good enough. Wrong! When they say "large" pan, they mean a LARGE pan!! I had far more batter than could fit in my pan. I'm embarrassed to admit I went ahead and filled it to the brim. Don't do this! It spilled over while baking and made a very stinky mess on the bottom of my oven. I took my knife and swirled the batters together as told, and while I did, I smiled, thinking of Aunt Lu with her elbow raised like an artist creating a masterpiece. Admittedly, once it was all layered and swirled and ready to go into the oven, I was rather pleased with myself. Just like Adella Rose, I took a spoon and scraped the bowls, taste-testing each batter. Yummmm! I slid the pan into the oven, set the timer for one hour and twenty minutes, and waited with high expectations!! A word to the wise baker: Definitely flour your pans. I didn't. I used cooking spray, but the cake unfortunately stuck to the pan. Waaa. I'd hope to have a lovely photograph of my Prince of Wales cake on this pretty glass cake stand I own and have never used. But I had to settle for simply showing you a couple slices. Aren't they pretty? The cake is not too sweet and has a bit of a spice cake taste to it. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and it is ready to serve!! Delicious! Just like folks ate on Rose Hill Plantation in 1859. If you'd like to make Prince of Wales cake, go here to find the recipe. Then pop over to my blog about the Authentic Molasses Cookies Harriet bakes in Book Two, The Widow of Rose Hill. They are delish! ENJOY! If you haven't purchased your copy of The Planter's Daughter or The Widow of Rose Hill, click here. Both books are getting lots of 5-star reviews! Readers say they can't put them down. Music to this author's ears. Have a blessed day! ~Michelle
1/2 lb ground ham 1/2 lb sausage meat Salt and pepper 4 tbspns milk 1 egg 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup water 1 tspn dry mustard Mix ham and sausage meat together and season with salt and pepper. Add the milk, egg, and bread crumbs, and mix thoroughly. Heat the water, and add the dry mustard; bring to a boil and add to the meat mixture. Shape the loaf into a shallow baking pan, and bake in a moderate oven, 375 degrees, for about 1 hour. Serves 6 to 8. More "Lost" Civil War Recipes Civil War Potato Dumplings (1864) Civil War Doughnuts (1861) (Origin - "The Civil War Cookbook" by William C Davis, published by Courage Books, an imprint of Running Press, 1993.)
Looking for Civil War Recipes? Try Carolina Apple Snowballs.
Civil war hospital recipe for Farina Pudding. Served to the Wounded Soldiers after the Battle of Gettysburg by nurses and ladies of the Sanitary Commission.
"This series is dedicated to the men who served in Virginia Units during the War Between the States. It is the purpose of this series to preserve, as part of our heritage, the deeds and sacrifices of these men." This publication provides a compelling look into the experiences of the men who fought in the 10th Virginia Cavalry during the American Civil War. Muster rolls sourced mainly from the Compiled Service Records in the National Archives, which contain information on the date and place of enlistment, hospital, prisoner of war, clothing and equipment receipts, and other miscellaneous materials are included, as well as the ages, prewar and postwar occupations, and domiciles of former soldiers. This work also offers photographs of several soldiers and a bibliography. Robert J. Driver, Jr. (1992), 2023, 6x9, paper, alphabetical, 192 pp. ISBN: 9780788430367 101-D3036
A simpler time: recreate these historical battleground recipes in your own modern kitchen.
Civil War Recipes and Food I have a passion for traditional food preparation, so I love to study Civil War recipes and ingredients. I have learned a lot about traditional foods through The Weston A. Price Foundation®. I now make nearly all of my own food from scratch. Food preparation is not as hard as …
Delicious, ginger, Civil War Era biscuit. Perfect for the holidays, great with tea.
Two layers of fluffy butter cake with a layer of jam in-between and coated with powdered sugar. The second type of Washington Pie was a square cake composed of broken...
A simpler time: recreate these historical battleground recipes in your own modern kitchen.
I have been wanting to make these since I first read Little Women. It made no sense to me. The kids I knew hated limes. Why would anyone want to eat these? Was it a dare? Were they showing how tough they were by consuming them? I really didn't know then and still didn't know until now.
Looking for Civil War Candies? Rock candy is an easy to make Early American treat.
Time Expo Time Exposure by Lynne Kennedy In Time Exposure, Lynne Kennedy makes Civil War photography the lens of her novel. “Photography hugely impacted the way society viewed the war….I combine my love of history and science with my penchant for mysteries!” Lynne does a superb job—an intriguing mystery, wonderful characters and exciting history. All make this […]
As a writer of historical novels, I love to run across remedies used in past centuries. A wonderful book, Confederate Receipt Book, contains a few cures from the Civil War era. A soldier’s re…
Civil War Macaroni and Cheese - macaroni cooked in milk; no need to make sauce separately; all done in one pot.
Civil War Recipe for Pumpkin Bread from 1863. This is a recipe that substituted pumpkin for eggs, milk and butter and is surprisingly palatable.
Civil War Recipe: Confederate Milk Substitute-Arrowroot Powder
Looking for a Civil War Era picnic recipe? This is a perfect event food!
Not being a culinary history expert, I don't know if this recipe really originates from the Civil War era. Whether this recipe has been around that long or not, these pancakes are so easy and delicious. Don't let the oatmeal fool you! They are very light and tender. They need to be started at least 4 hours before you will be cooking them. Mix the buttermilk and oatmeal and let them soak for at least 4 hours, but overnight is much better. In the morning add remaining ingredients and cook them like regular pancakes. The batter also makes great waffles! Stand back, so you won't be caught in the stampede of hungry pancake eaters :o) Civil War Pancakes 2 cups buttermilk 1-1/2 cups quick oatmeal 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons sugar Additional milk to thin batter, as needed Mix buttermilk and oatmeal in mixer bowl. Allow to soak at least 4 hours or overnight. In the morning add dry ingredients, eggs and oil. Mix well and thin with additional milk, if needed. Enjoy! This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Flash freeze any extra pancakes on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, remove and store in a zip bag or plastic container in your freezer. Reheat in microwave, oven or toaster oven. This freezer method works for any kind of pancake or waffle and makes a fabulous quick breakfast! Visit Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday for more great recipes!
taste of the past that is surprisingly sweet! my son & his classmates loved them. his teacher insisted on more.
I have been wanting to make these since I first read Little Women. It made no sense to me. The kids I knew hated limes. Why would anyone want to eat these? Was it a dare? Were they showing how tough they were by consuming them? I really didn't know then and still didn't know until now.
Civil War Recipe for Pumpkin Bread from 1863. This is a recipe that substituted pumpkin for eggs, milk and butter and is surprisingly palatable.
