June 22, 2016

A History of Royal Food and Feasting: Free Online Class!

This week the free online course "A History of Royal Food and Feasting" goes live. It is being hosted by the University of Reading in southeast England and focuses on the foodways of 5 key monarchs including Henry VIII and George III.



The class starts this week so don't miss out! I'm a huge proponent for MOOCs, alternative, and free education and this class is top quality. It is hosted on the FutureLearn website which offers many very interesting courses. I urge everyone to check them out.

June 7, 2016

9 Colonial Herbs and Their Uses

"Yarrow...The Leaves are esteemed cooling, drying, binding, serviceable in all kinds of Haemorrhages..." 
-Elizabeth Blackwell


These etchings and the information are from John Hill's Virtues of British Herbs, first published in 1771. Sir John Hill was a prolific writer, doctor and botanist in the second half of the 1700s. He started apprenticing at an apothecary in his early years and went on to earn a medical degree at Edinburgh. He later opened his own apothecary shop. He was known for his multiple books on vegetables and herbs. His writings were so prolific, he was even wrongly attributed as the author of Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. 

The herbs and flowers listed below would have been very familiar with 18th century women. Many of these grew naturally in Britain and the United States and these plants were commonly used as infusions to treat remedies or as compresses to be held against the skin. The book specifies that most of these useful herbs are found in fields, just as they are today. If you weren't paying attention, you probably would skip over them.

The book reviewer in The Critical Review in 1771 commented that Hill's book was likely intended for private families as the remedies were not in professional use at the time. It was nevertheless a popular book that went through multiple printings and found itself on both sides of the Atlantic by the 1850s.          

***The information below is purely for educational purposes and is not medical advice.***

 Although, many modern day herbalists and individuals will attest to their effectiveness, there have been few clinical trials on their uses as remedies. Never use a plant that you cannot identify 100 % and always be aware of the side effects of any plant you might want to use.  

Colonial Herbs and Uses

Coltsfoot Leaves (Tussilago farfara)

Uses: Kidney Inflammation, Asthma, Consumption. 
***Can cause liver damage. 



Great Daisy / Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum)

                         Use: Diuretic, to clean the kidneys.
                         Infusion of leaves. 



Colonial Herbs and Uses

Daisy (Bellis perennis)

Uses: Fevers, Internal Inflammations
Infusion with Honey and Milk
Receipt: 
Clip small a quantity of the Leaves fresh
gathered; put them into an earthen pipkin,
and pour upon them as much boiling water as
will cover them. Let this stand all night. In
the morning boil it a few minutes; and put in
as much honey as will fweeten it. A half-pint
bafin of this mould be drank warm three times
a day.


Colonial Herbs and Uses

English Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis)

Uses: Improving Appetite, Assisting Digestion: Strong tea made from the flowers.

Colic and Indigestion : Strong Tea made of the leaves.


Colonial Herbs and Uses
Feverfew (Matricaria parthenium)  

Use: Relieves Headaches
Leaves as an infusion or compress.


Colonial Herbs and Uses

Goldenrod (Solidago)

Uses: Internal Bruising, Diuretic.
Infusion of leaves, young leaves are best.


Colonial Herbs and Uses

Senico (Senecio sarracenicus) or Broadleaf Ragwort

                         Use: Heals bruises.
                         Used as an infusion.



Colonial Herbs and Uses

Tanzy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Uses: Relief of putrid Fevers and Epileptic Fits.
Flowers, powdered.


Colonial Herbs and Uses
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Use: Pain Relief
Drank as an infusion or made into a compress mixed with equal parts Toadflax.


Further Reading


Blackwell, Elizabeth. A Curious Herbal. London, 1739.

Dillon, Clarissa F. "a Work Highly of Use." Vol. 1. Harleysville, PA, 2006.

Dillon, Clarissa F. "a Work Highly of Use." Vol. 2. Harleysville, PA, 2011.

Tryon, Thomas. The Good House-wife Made a Doctor; Or, Health's Choice and Sure Friend Being a Plain Way of Nature's Own Prescribing, to Prevent and Cure Most Diseases... London: Printed for H. N. and T. S. and Sold by Randal Taylor, 1692.

June 2, 2016

Civil War Era Egg Sandwich: A Picnic Recipe

"My fellow-passengers were two pleasant, elderly ladies, who pressed egg sandwiches upon me."
-Bentley's Miscellany, 1857
 



This recipe was cooked for the Historical Food Fortnightly. A yearly challenge that encourages bloggers to cook a historical food every two weeks. It was difficult finding foods expressly for picnics, which was the challenge for this week. Bread and chicken were mentioned in many accounts as well as fresh fruit and tea. Alansa Rounds Sterrett in her wartime diary recounts a picnic in May:
"Very warm. I sewed at 0. F. Hall all day. Excellent picnic dinner down stairs, -- chicken sandwiches, pickles, pies, cakes, &c. and coffee. Henry Seig brought up to the sewing room 4 long strips. I basted, Aunt S. did machine work. Done and sent away before six. Evening, rested."
I feel silly that this recipe is so simple but I thought it was redundant to post how to make bread or hard boiled eggs.

The Challenge: Picnic Foods (May 20 - June 2) Some foods are just meant to be eaten in the outdoors! Concoct a dish that is documented for al fresco dining, or foods that might particularly lend themselves to eating at a picnic. Bonus points for putting it to the test!

The Recipe:



The Date/Year and Region:
1860s US or England
Ingredients:

- 2 Slices of Bread
- Butter
- Pepper
- Salt
- Nutmeg
- 2 Eggs, Hard Boiled

How Did You Make It: 

I made my own bread but for a quick event, store bought bread would be fine. I only boiled my eggs for about 6 minutes as I thought the less chalky yolk would taste better. I peeled my eggs and sliced them. Buttered the bread and sprinkled a bit of salt, pepper and nutmeg then laid my slices of egg on.

Time to Complete: 10 minutes after the bread was baked.

Total Cost: I had everything on hand but imagine it would be less than $5 of actual ingredients.

How Successful Was It?: Surprisingly not bad. I was a little put off by the lack of mayonnaise and thought the addition of nutmeg would be odd. It's not bad as long as you aren't expecting an egg salad sandwich and the nutmeg was a surprising, tangy addition I never would have thought of.

How Accurate Is It?: Followed the recipe as close as possible.


Henry O'Neil. A Picnic, 1857 Civil War Era Picnic

Henry O'Neil. A Picnic, 1857

Independence Day Picnic 1862

The Picnic on a Clifftop, Frederick James Shields


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