For all the othÂer faults of the 2020s, most of humanÂiÂty now enjoys culiÂnary variÂety the likes of which it has nevÂer before known. Two cenÂturies ago, the selecÂtion was conÂsidÂerÂably narÂrowÂer. Back then the UnitÂed States of AmerÂiÂca, yet to become the highÂly develÂoped leader of “the free world,” remained for the most part a fairÂly hardÂscrabÂble land. This comes through in a book like DemocÂraÂcy in AmerÂiÂca, which AlexÂis de TocÂqueville wrote after travÂelÂing across the counÂty in the 1830s — or on a Youtube chanÂnel like EarÂly AmerÂiÂcan, which re-creÂates life as lived by AmerÂiÂcans of decades before then.
Not long ago, EarÂly AmerÂiÂcan’s viewÂerÂship explodÂed. This seems to have owed to cookÂing videos like the one at the top of the post, “A RegÂuÂlar Folks’ SupÂper 200 Years Ago.” The menu, on this imagÂined March day in 1820 MisÂsouri, includes beef, mashed turnips, carÂrots, rolls, and boiled eggs: not a bad-lookÂing spread, as it turns out, though its flaÂvors may leave someÂthing to be desired for the twenÂty-first-cenÂtuÂry palate.
Many of EarÂly AmerÂiÂcan’s new comÂmenters, writes chanÂnel co-creÂator JusÂtine Dorn, are telling her “to add this seaÂsonÂing and this and that,” but “then it would no longer be loyÂal to the actuÂal origÂiÂnal recipe, which is why you all are here to begin with.”
In the case of the regÂuÂlar folks’ supÂper, its recipes come straight from an 1803 volÂume called The FruÂgal HouseÂwife. As for the johnÂnyÂcakes feaÂtured in “MakÂing a WorkÂing Class BreakÂfast in 1820,” you’ll find their recipe in Amelia SimÂmons’ AmerÂiÂcan CookÂery from 1796, the first known cookÂbook writÂten by an AmerÂiÂcan. The meal also includes a yeastÂless bread for which no propÂer recipe exists. HowÂevÂer, Dorn writes, “there are sevÂerÂal menÂtions of workÂing class peoÂple who baked bread withÂout yeast in the autoÂbiÂograÂphies of travÂelÂers in the eighÂteenth and earÂly nineÂteenth cenÂturies. Because of this we know that it was a comÂmon pracÂtice.”
Made from a modÂiÂfied famÂiÂly recipe passed down since the 1750s, this yeastÂless bread looks appealÂing enough, espeÂcialÂly toastÂed over the fire and served with apple butÂter. But we must acknowlÂedge that tastes have changed over the cenÂturies. “I am not claimÂing that this food is good,” Dorn writes. “SomeÂtimes it isn’t. A lot of the foods and seaÂsonÂings that we take for grantÂed today were very hard to get back then or were only seaÂsonÂalÂly availÂable.” But with seaÂsonÂal, “localÂly sourced” ingreÂdiÂents in vogue these days, it’s worth examÂinÂing what, 200 years ago, realÂly went into a simÂple IndiÂan meal pudÂding or an earÂly macÂaÂroni and cheese — albeit one preÂpared, in true 2020s fashÂion, ASMR-style.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The First AmerÂiÂcan CookÂbook: SamÂple Recipes from AmerÂiÂcan CookÂery (1796)
An Archive of 3,000 VinÂtage CookÂbooks Lets You TravÂel Back Through CuliÂnary Time
Real InterÂviews with PeoÂple Who Lived in the 1800s
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall, on FaceÂbook, or on InstaÂgram.
It was comÂmon pracÂtice to make yeastÂless bread because peoÂple used starters. CookÂbooks at the time would assume to the readÂer knew to include starter, there was no need to menÂtion it. Just as there is no speÂcifÂic water menÂtioned in spaghetÂti and meatÂballs, authors assume readÂers know to boil pasÂta in water. AddiÂtionÂalÂly, most peoÂple had access to a year-round herb garÂden so foods were probÂaÂbly not as bland as they seem to be as cooks would include whatÂevÂer herbs, seeds, or bark they had availÂable.
I was readÂing the above stoÂry and it brought back childÂhood memÂoÂries of my Mama makÂing homeÂmade hoeÂcakes in a cast iron fryÂing pan, using flour, lard and butÂterÂmilk, mixing/kneading it all togethÂer, then flatÂtenÂing it out in the cast iron, along with bacon dripÂpings, then cookÂing it on the stoveÂtop, servÂing it with the breakÂfast of eggs, grits, bacon & fatÂback and occaÂsionÂalÂly VienÂna sausage that we’d mix in with our grits.
SomeÂtimes on SatÂurÂdays, she would fry up saltÂed mackÂerÂel, serve it with grits and make what she would call spread out bread that was baked, using basiÂcalÂly the same recipe as the hoe cake. My parÂents proÂvidÂed the best they could raisÂing four growÂing kids back in the 50’s/60’s.
What an expeÂriÂence, watchÂing those old-fashÂioned methÂods becomÂing what looked like deliÂcious meals. In this day & age, when peoÂple can push a buuÂton & have a meal ready in minÂutes, it shows how far-removed we are from the tedious & time-conÂsumÂing ways were needÂed just to put a delecÂtable meal on the table! Love these videos…I’d like to try some of the recipes too…although in my modÂern day oven/stove.
AmazÂing. I realÂly enjoyed watchÂing this. The recipe simÂple. difÂferÂent how meals are preÂpared in the fireÂplace. AweÂsome hisÂtoric hisÂtoÂry, thank you.
As a native New EngÂlanÂder, howÂevÂer transÂplantÂed elseÂwhere, all I can say is “ Thank You.” These demonÂstraÂtions clearÂly reinÂforce the philosoÂphies of, “Waste not, want not” and “Fix it, make do, or do withÂout!”
These were tough peoÂple livÂing in tough times” and yet they built lives so strong that we stand on their shoulÂders today. Again, thank you.
I don’t think those are turnips, I believe they are rutabaÂgas.
I realÂly enjoyed watchÂing the video it was very enlightÂenÂing.