A blog dedicated to Early American History Lovers, Civil War Reenactors, Living Historians, and people that love the past. Lots of Historical Recipes and Patterns!
In 1861, tensions were high. The world was moving forward but there were people who just could not see how backwards the country was. All men are created equal. But did that include Black men? Women? The time for compromise was over. Everyone had chosen their sides. Were black men to be freed?
Everyone thought the war would be quick; their side would be victorious. How could it not be? The boys would be home soon. People were reading over the pages of Harper’s Weekly as if they were looking over reports about a recent horse race.
Under an advertisement for the paper there’s a recipe to help readers use up the last of their cherry crop and revive a stale loaf of bread. This recipe is incredibly sweet. A little goes a long way.
Civil War Era Cherry Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of Cherries, stoned with the stems removed
- 3/4 Cup of Sugar
- Bread, sliced 1 inch thick
Instructions:
Remove the stems and pits from the cherries. Place the cherries in a large sauce pan, making sure that there is space at the top of the pan in case the cherries splash. If the cherries are dry, add a few Tablespoons of Water. Stir in the Sugar. Stew on low-to-medium heat for about 15 minutes, remove the cherries with a slotted spoon and simmer the remaining juice until it becomes a thickened syrup, about 5 minutes more.
Cut bread in 1 inch thick slices and place in a “float dish” or soup plate. Drizzle the cherry syrup mixture over top. The syrup is very sweet.
Another contemporary recipe for Cherry bread instructs to cover the cherries with cinnamon and sugar over the top and bake the whole.
In the midst of the Civil War, when kitchens were stripped down to whatever ingredients could be spared, creativity often became the most important tool a cook owned. Imagine the clatter of cast-iron skillets over an open hearth, the smell of wood smoke weaving through a farmhouse kitchen, and the sight of eggs—precious but still more available than meat—being whisked.
To stretch a meal further, thrifty hands dipped those eggs into a simple pancake batter, turning them into omelette fritters. Golden at the edges and hearty at the center, they were a way to create a meal out of few ingredients.
Step into the kitchen and see how these simple ingredients come together to make omelette fritters—the Civil War’s ingenious twist on eggs and pancakes.
Civil War Era Omelette Fritters Recipe
Ingredients:
Omelette - 6 Eggs - Basil, minced - Pancake Batter Fried Parsley - Bunch of Parsley - Oil for frying
Instructions:
Whisk 2–3 eggs with salt and chopped fresh basil. Heat a nonstick skillet with a bit of butter over medium heat. Pour in the eggs and let them set slightly. Gently stir, then cook until mostly set. Flip when the bottom has started to brown. Put the omelette on a plate and let cool. Make 2-3 thin omelettes.
Heat 1 inch of lard or vegetable oil in a deep pan to around 350°F (175°C). Roll up the omelettes stick with toothpicks and cut into 1/2 inch pieces and dip in pancake batter. Remove the toothpicks and use a slotted spoon to place in oil/lard. When the fritters are finished, Carefully drop in a few sprigs of parsley at a time; they will crisp up in just 5–10 seconds. Immediately remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a towel or in a colander to drain. Let it cool. The parsley should be crispy.
Make a thin omelette.
Roll with toothpicks.
Slice between the toothpicks before dipping in batter.
Fried parsley may seem weird today, but it had a dry crunchy, seaweed type taste and was frequently served with fish dishes in the past. Pancakes at the time were often served rolled up with sifted sugar, molasses or wine sauce on top.
Jun 27. Marched today by the following name towns 1stWaynesboro, 2ndDunoy, 3rd Funkstown 4th Fayettsville & stopped at Greenwood for the night. Hard looking crowd in this country, mostly dutch. Cloudy this afternoon.
- R.T. Douglass, Co. F, 47th Va.
The Wisconsin Farmer, 1863
In the 1860s, sauerkraut was known to prevent scurvy and was seen as a necessary component of the diet of soldiers.1 Sartain's Union Magazine of Literature and Art (1852) claimed it was a "certain cure for cholera,"although we know this is not true.2 There was a call in newspapers for women at home to can sauerkraut to send to the soldiers to prevent diseases.Typical recipes from the time call for sauerkraut to be boiled with beef or other cuts of meat.
Sauerkraut held strong associations with Germany as it still does today. Although no official count exists, it is estimated that 216,000 union soldiers were German immigrants and another 250,000 were first-generation immigrants from Germany. There were even a number of German-Americans fighting in the Confederate army. They were frequently referred to as "Dutch".
If you want to make this 100% authentic, there are a variety of heirloom cabbage seeds you can still get today that were grown in the 1860s. The Late Flat Dutch variety is dated back before the 1830s and is valued for sauerkraut. The Brunswick is another early variety that is suitable. I had a lot of fun trying to make this the period way (using leaves to keep air out). This is a fun recipe to make with kids because there's plenty of mashing. It tastes significantly better than store-bought. My family enjoyed this batch at Thanksgiving.
Peasant Life in Germany, 1858
Civil War Era Sauerkraut
Ingredients:
- Cabbage (2.5 pounds)
- 1.5 Tablespoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Tumeric or Saffron
Instructions:
Wash the cabbages and remove the tough outer leaves and set them aside.
Remove the thick veins and shred the cabbage as thin as possible.
In a large crock, knead the salt into the cabbage by hand.
Use a wood pestle to pound the cabbage and salt mixture until enough liquid forms to cover the cabbage.*
Mix in the spices.
Cover with the outer leaves and place weight on them until all of the cabbage is submerged in the liquid.
Sit in a cool spot for 2 weeks. After the 2 week fermentation period, sauerkraut can be kept in the refrigerator for months or canned.
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* If liquid does not form, wait 30 minutes to see if enough liquid forms. If enough liquid never forms, 1/2 a cup of water with a teaspoon of salt can be added.
At 70-75 degrees, fermentation should be complete after 2-4 weeks. At 60-65 degrees, fermentation may take 4-6 weeks.
Notes
1 Hammond, William A. A Treatise on Hygiene: With Special Reference to the Military Service. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1863.
2 Sartain, John, ed. Sartain's Union Magazine of Literature and Art. Plates. 10. Vol. 10. Philadelphia, PA: John Sartain & Co., 1852.
Punch would find rare pickings in the army. The everyday jokes and incidents of campaign life are rich enough. The other day in a cavalry charge the enemy broke and a rebel soldier was chased into a fence corner whence he could not escape. "I surrender! I surrender!" he cried to the pursuing trooper. "What do you think of the old flag now!" replied the soldier aiming a cut at him. The men in the ranks get off many a good thing. It is curious to see what a zest some of them take in man hunting, skirmishing, scouting and the like. They are as much pleased when they bring down an opponent as a successful sportsman with his bird.
Everything has remained in its usual quiet since I last wrote. We have a most beautiful little camp for Headquarters, and are quite comfortable. I have gone to the length of building a stable for my horses, and if we don't move soon shall think about building a chimney for my tent. We have plenty of grapes peaches and apples and I found some sweet cider a few days ago. So you see we are very well off, as fare as physical comfort goes.
General Grant, U. S. is here, which looks like action. Probably to see what is doing and whether any force can be spared to reinforce his army at Petersburg.
As for McClellan, he will make a worse failure as a politician than as a soldier. I think his army strength is all gone. Few are left of his old army and they have changed in their feelings towards him to some extent. Nowadays they are making everybody Brevent Major General.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cream 1 cup of butter with 3 cups of sugar. Beat in your eggs. Dissolve the baking soda in the cider and add to the mixture. Pour the liquid ingredients on the dry ingredients and spice to taste. Bake in a greased pan until a toothpick comes out clean (30-60 minutes.)
This recipe makes enough for two 8 inch cake pans.
Many cookbooks include a recipe for Election Cake. What is it? The hallmark of an election cake recipe is the enormous batch size. Some of the finished cakes weighed over 10 pounds. In the 1700s, Election Cake was a yeast leavened cake with prunes or other dried fruits, intended to feed dozens of people. Sometimes they were made of soft gingerbread. Regardless of the ingredients, Election Cake was frequently served with cider.
Election Cake seems to be derived from "Muster Cake." In the late 1600s and throughout the 1700s, some men were expected to attend military musters for training and were supplied with cake and cider as a reward. In the late 1700s, Election Day was new and a day of celebration. Eligible men who made the trek out to vote were given cake, cider, and alcohol outside of the polls and at parties.
This recipe is fromAmerican Cookery by Amelia Simmons, the second edition published in 1796. This book is known for being the first known American cookbook. The full recipe makes a lot of cake. It contains 30 cups of flour and 36 eggs! I cut the recipe by about 1/7! The recipe also assumes you're cooking in the 1700s and that it will take 24 hours for your sponge to rise. It took me about 45 minutes in my 21st century oven. Likewise, if your house is heated in November, you won't have to cream the butter for 30 minutes. When I make this again (even the family liked it) I'll probably add a cup of crushed walnuts.
Colonial Election Cake
Ingredients:
- 4 Cups Flour - 1 1/2 Sticks Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 1/4 Cup Raisins, Prunes, or other dried fruit, chopped
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Tablespoon Wine
- 2 Tablespoons Brandy
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander seed
- 2 Tablespoons Yeast (1 Packet)
- 1 1/2 Cups Warm Milk
Instructions:
Combine your flour, milk, and yeast, cover with a warm, wet cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. In a separate bowl, cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the eggs, spices, brandy, and wine and mix until combined. Pour the butter mixture into the dough and mix (with your hands, if necessary). Mix in the fruit. Pour into greased pans and bake 45-60 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 F. Let cool then cover and let sit for a day.
Sources:
Humble, Nicola. Cake: a Global History. London: Reaktion Books, 2010.
Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery; or, The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry and Vegetables and the Best Modes of Making Pastes, Puffs, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards and Preserves, and All Kinds of Cakes from the Imperial Plumb to Plain Cake, Adapted to This Country and All Grades of Life. . 2nd ed. Hartford: Hudson & Goodwin, 1796.
Stradley, Linda. “Election Day Cake History and Recipe,” November 3, 2020. https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/ElectionCake.htm.
The above link to American Cookery is an affiliate link. Thank you for helping me keep the fires going!
Honey soap was a popular soap before and after the war. It was known for and its supposed "skin whitening" properties. This recipe contains honey but at the time, writings suggest that some honey soaps didn't contain honey at all.
I found this recipe in The Confederate Receipt Book; however, the recipe was printed almost verbatim from The New Household Receipt Book, (1853) by Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. I am always interested in the ingenuity of humans in reduced circumstances and was curious if this recipe made a decent soap or was a war-time, makeshift recipe.
Other recipes of the time mention annatto for coloring so I added a bit to give it a nice honey color. I also chose bergamot as the scent as the recipe for Honey Soap from The Druggist's General Receipt Book (1853) called for Windsor soap which was frequently scented with bergamot and caraway. Another contemporary recipe called for cinnamon oil. The 1866 printing of the Druggist's General Receipt Book changed the scent in their recipe for honey soap to oil of citronella.
Civil War Era Honey Soap Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 Pounds White or Yellow Soap (Castile, Tallow, Lard) - Water - 1/4 Cups Honey - Essential Oil ( Read the warnings on your oil.)
Instructions:
Shred, chop or grind your soap. Add the soap and a little water in a double boiler (or straight over the heat making sure you keep it below 230 degrees F until melted or in "mashed potato" form). Add the honey, colorant, and essential oil and stir until combined. Pour or scoop into a silicone mold or any container lined with waxed paper. Let cool until hard. Slice the soap to the size you want and let cure in a warm dry place for at least a week.
The Manchester Journal (Vermont) 25 Jun 1861
Affiliate Links:
Soap Flakes : If it's your first time melting soap, soap flakes make it easy.
Annatto: If you want to use annatto, make sure to place it in a coffee filter and into the honey overnight and remove before using, unless you want flakes like my soap.
Soap Colorant: If you want to use a modern colorant.
Bergamot Oil: Cinnamon oil, Citronella, Bergamot, Rose were common soap scents during the war but in modern times, cinnamon oil can be an irritant so I would not recommend it for beginners.
Sept 21st After supper last night, by way of variety Anna, Miriam and I came up to our room, and after undressing, commenced popping corn, and making candy in the fireplace. We had scarcely commenced, when three officers were announced, who found their way to the house to get some supper, they having very little chance of reaching Clinton before morning, as the cars had run off the track. Of course we could not appear; and they brought bad luck with them, for our corn would not pop, and our candy burned, while to add to our distress the odor of broiled chicken and hot biscuits was wafted upstairs, after awhile in the most provoking way. In vain we sent the most pathetic appeals by each servant, for a biscuit apiece, after our hard work. Mrs Carter was obdurate until tired out with messages, she at last sent us an empty jelly cup, a shred of chip beef, two polished drumsticks, and half a biscuit divided in three. With that bountiful repast we were forced to be content, and go to bed. -Southerner, Sarah Morgan, September 21st, 1862.
This recipe is for the most basic, old fashioned popcorn balls. In the 1860s, popcorn balls were a popular treat bought from street peddlers or "candy boys". Sometimes the balls were dyed red or other colors. Sorghum and corn were two of the few things the south had during the war years. Shortly after the war there were a few purported children's deaths due to poisoned popcorn balls in newspapers. Whether they actually happened or were just to discourage children from eating them is unknown.
This is a fun recipe to cook as a group over a fire and kids enjoy making and eating the balls. I used a mixture of honey and molasses for my popcorn balls but experiment and find what you like. You can also use a simple syrup made from sugar.
The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia (1861)
Old Fashioned Civil War Era Popcorn Balls
Ingredients:
- 16 Cups of popped Popcorn (1/2 Cup of un-popped kernels)
- 2 Cups Syrup ( Sorghum, Molasses, Honey, Maple)
- Butter or oil for coating hands.
Instructions:
Boil your syrup in a medium saucepan until it reaches 235°F (soft ball stage). Pour the syrup over the popcorn and mix in with a spoon. Let cool until you can touch it with your hands. Coat your hands in butter, scoop up some popcorn and press it into balls. Let sit overnight if yo want to keep the ball shape or eat straight away.
What kid doesn't like playing with paper boats? It seems like magic that you can make a boat out of paper and even more so that paper can hold out water! You might find that kids today have never made or have seen paper boats and will find them as exciting and novel as kids in the 1860s and before.
The instructions call for a piece of paper 6" x 4" but we also had luck with 8.5" x 11" sheets. They can be a little tricky to make so you might have to help the first few times but they'll get it eventually. These instructions are from The Boy's Own Toy-Maker (1859) but can be a little confusing, especially to younger readers. I've included a short video tutorial to try to clear things up a little bit.
Please let me know if you are interested in more Civil War kids activities or if there's a certain game or toy you'd like me to write about.
These instructions are from The Boy's Own Toy-Maker (1859.)
In early America, grease pots were a ubiquitous part of a kitchen. Grease was collected during cooking and butchering and was later rendered (made clean), and used to make soap, candles, grease pans, for cooking, and cosmetics. Tallow is the rendered fat of a ruminant and lard is fat from pigs.
Today, so much good fat goes to waste.
I'm using fat that my family saved for me from tacos and meatloaf. I don't eat meat so I'm reliant on friends and family whenever I need lard or tallow. My fat wasn't too gross. Yours might have chunks of meat on it, and that's fine for this. Just chop it into pieces and melt.
How to Render Lard
Put your fat in a pan on medium heat and add enough water to cover it.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of fat.
Heat until melted.
Pour into a sieve over a bowl.
Let the bowl Rest for 24 hours.
Cut the tallow out of the bowl.
Rinse the tallow under running water.
You can repeat the process a second time with a finer sieve. Freeze in zip lock bags for up to a year.
In the next few weeks I'll hopefully post a few tutorials on what you can do with rendered tallow. Stay tuned!
I was very interested to try this recipe as it has molasses, cornmeal, and apples, three flavors that were very common during the Civil War that have since fallen out of fashion. I found the recipe in The American Economical Housekeeper and Family Receipt Book, 1850. The Housekeeper and Gardener (1858) stated to add "a little more flour than is given to a common pancake batter," so I added a bit more than I would for normal pancakes.
We served ours with "maple molasses", as it was called then. They were very good. You can barely taste the cornmeal at all. We will be adding these to our regular food rotation. The recipe made about 12 pancakes so I would half it in the future.
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Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Saleratus (Baking Soda)
- 1 Cup Corn Meal
- 1 Cup Molasses
- 3 Apples, pared and minced
- 3 +/- Cups Flour
- Fat or Oil for frying
Instructions:
Combine cornmeal, molasses, baking soda,minced apples, and milk. Mix in enough flour to make a slightly thicker than usual pancake batter. Fry in oil on medium heat until solid (about 1 minute). Flip pancakes over. Fry other side for another minute.
'In debt, Amy; what do you mean?' and Meg looked sober.
'Why, I owe at least a dozen pickled limes, and I can't pay them, you know, till I have money, for Marmee forbid my having anything charged at the shop.'
'Tell me all about it. Are limes the fashion now? It used to be pricking bits of rubber to make balls;' and Meg tried to keep her countenance, Amy looked so grave and important.
'Why, you see, the girls are always buying them, and unless you want to be thought mean, you must do it too. It's nothing but limes now, for everyone is sucking them in their desks in school-time, and trading them off for pencils, bead-rings, paper dolls, or something else, at recess. If one girl likes another, she gives her a lime; if she's mad with her, she eats one before her face, and don't offer even a suck. They treat by turns; and I've had ever so many, but haven't returned them, and I ought, for they are debts of honour, you know.' -Little Women, Louisa May Alcott I have been wanting to make these since I first read Little Women so I am very excited to share this recipe. 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.
They're actually not bad! They're salty and sour and a bit tangy. I read of children in the 1860s eating them in conjunction with sweet candy. Other taste testers said they would go good with nuts and beer.
I cooked the vinegar to save time and added a bit of water to reduce the bite. I also was stuck using prepared ingredients as some of the fresh or whole spices were nowhere to be found. Feel free to use the fresh and whole kind if you can find them right now. The recipe is left open so you can pickle as many or few limes as you want. The spices should make up about 1/16 of the mixture.
Civil War Era Pickled Limes Recipe
Ingredients:
- Limes
- Salt
-50% Vinegar to 50% Water Mixture
- Garlic, chopped
- Mustard Seed
- Cayenne Pepper
- Horseradish (shredded)
Instructions:
Quarter limes, leaving a bit so the 4 pieces stay connected. Place in a sanitized jar.
Sprinkle the limes with the salt, cover, and sit in a sunny spot until the rinds change colors (can be as little as 3 hours or take up to a week depending on sunlight.) Shake every day to coat the limes in juice.
Boil enough vinegar and water mixture to cover the limes.
Mix the Garlic, Mustard Seed, Cayenne Pepper and Horseradish together.
In a sanitized jar, add the limes and seasonings in alternating layers.
Carefully pour the vinegar over the limes. Let cool then cover and store in the fridge until the juice thickens.
Fruitcake. I'm young enough to have never encountered a fruitcake in the wild. Its reputation had been cemented before I was a child. Likened to paper weights and door stops, fruitcake has disappeared from tables. The theory that there is only one fruitcake in the world and people just keep regifting it to each other has expedited its demise.
Still there are diehard fans who can't have Christmas if there is not a fruitcake and I'm apt to believe that the real reason for the demise is the cost and care they take to make in a world that increasingly values quick and cheap.
Fruitcake has a long history. Nutritionally dense and long lasting, fruitcake like mixtures date back to at least Ancient Rome, but the modern recipe has its roots in the Middle Ages. Richard Briggs includes a recipe for "Plum Cake" in his 1788 cookbook The English Art of Cookery that includes all the hallmarks of what we would call a fruitcake today. In 1840, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's wedding featured a highly decorated, 300 pound fruitcake popularising the choice for many future brides. By the 1860s fruitcake was a classic choice for Christmas and weddings.
This is my first attempt to make a fruitcake so I tried to find a simple recipe. I asked on Facebook what time period fruitcake I should make and many wanted to see a Civil War Fruitcake. So here it is. The recipe is from Godey's- the June edition as fruitcakes generally need to cure from 1 month to 6 months for the best flavors.
The recipe was very simple so I looked to E.F. Haskell's The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia (1861) for information on how to mix and bake the cake:
Rich Fruit Cake.—One pound of sugar, three-fourths of a pound of butter, worked together until very light; one wine-glass of brandy, one dozen ground cloves, half a nutmeg, a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, ten eggs beat separately, the yolks to be used first, and afterwards the whites, one-fourth of a pound of sliced citron, two pounds of washed currants rubbed in flour and mixed in the cake with one pound of raisins cut fine, and one seeded and left whole or cut once, and one pound of sifted flour; stir in the citron, currants, and the chopped raisins, and lastly, the flour and whole raisins alternately; bake in a moderate oven in deep basins two hours. If the fire is strong, the heat should be decreased the last hour. Line the basins with buttered paper, and keep a piece over the top of the cake. Frost it and it will keep two months or longer if desired.
I ended up lining my pans with buttered paper and frosting my cake. I was interested in using rum to keep my cake soft so I did not try frosting it before storing it.
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, molasses sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Add a little water to your fruits and mix in a little flour to coat the fruits. Alternatively add fruits and mix in flour to make a stiff batter. Beat your eggs and fold in at the end. Line your pans with buttered paper. Fill pans 2/3 of the way with batter and cover the tops with greased paper. Bake for 1 hour to 2 hours depending on pan size. Test the middle with a skewer.
This made 6 3x6 sized loaves. I baked them for an hour and 15 minutes.
Sorry for the cell phone pics.
The day after they were baked, the tops were hard. I used a skewer to poke holes half way down into the cakes and spooned rum over. I left the paper on and wrapped the cakes in plastic wrap then put them in a plastic container. Historically they would be wrapped in paper and kept in an airtight tin but I couldn't find one big enough. Some people wrap them in alcohol soaked cheesecloth first. I tried coating them with rum weekly unless they seemed soggy, then I skipped a week.
There are 6 of my fruitcakes floating around in the ether and I hope to update you after everyone has tried them. I won't be trying mine until Christmas Day but will update with a photo when I cut mine open. I gave everyone the drunken fruitcake disclaimer. Can't get drunk off cake? Check out this article by Stuart Heritage who decided to not only answer the question "Can you get drunk off of fruitcake?" but the question of "How drunk?" I hope everyone has a good holiday and I'd love to hear if anyone tries this recipe.
UPDATE: I've updated with a picture of the inside. We ate this on Christmas and it was overall not bad. I didn't pour a final bit of rum on it before icing it I wish I had. It felt kind of soggy on the top and I didn't want it to be soggy. The flavor was nice an mild. I thought the flavors would be strong but they were very delicate and the fruits practically melted into the cake. The raisins definitely disappeared! I have one cake left so I'm going to keep feeding it and test it in 6 months to see if the flavor changes any.
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