Foods Our Ancestors Ate (part one)

As I began this particular project, it became clear that three things would happen. The first being that I would write this from my own experience, the second, that it would be a much larger project than I had anticipated and the third, that finding authentic recipes for the plain food we are discussing, would not be easy. Therefore, I have not tried to keep recipes authentic, but the foods mentioned will be. Libraries will have many cookbooks containing fancier dishes. Also, there are so many places to find excellent recipes on the internet, so I'll include some links and let the reader find his or her own. An occasional authentic recipe will sneak in, I'm sure. Enjoy!

I have also broken the project into smaller pieces, of which this is the first. Others will be on this site in coming months. Walking, crawling and flying creatures herein. Next, fish and seafood. Then plants. Perhaps baking, also.

Pioneers had a hard life, but it was full of exciting things to do. I'm sure in many ways the search for foods and the hunting of animals was not viewed quite as we do today, but there must have been some times of joy in it. I remember the chore of picking berries with my granny. It was a chore, but it was fun as well! We had to get buckets, take Sulfur and Cream of Tartar tablets to keep away the redbugs, watch for snakes, and spend hours picking the little berries. While we were doing it, we had the chance to talk with granny and whatever brothers and sisters came along. Perhaps we might find an unusual flower which granny would tell us all about, or hear a bird we didn't know. There were all kinds of adventures and my grandmother seemed to enjoy the whole experience, too. I can't imagine our ancestors as being much different. Their trips for food might have been more demanding or more urgent, but I'm sure they enjoyed being in the woods, at the ponds, or on the sea while gathering edibles.

Stalking deer, raccoon, squirrel or fowl and making sure the first shot counted, would have been essential to lively-hood. Ammunition was precious and no doubt scarce at times, so one didn't waste it. Each young man (or woman) probably had a favorite hunting area that he knew "like the back of his hand." I'll bet there were many times when something exciting happened on the way to or from that spot. Perhaps fox kits were spotted tumbling about or an old gopher was seen to amble across the path. Seasons changed, and flowers bloomed in their turn. Winds blew or did not, warning of weather changes. So, it was an adventure, just starting on the day's journey. Anticipation of the meal mom would make of the catch, would likely keep a hunter focused. Visions of pork and deer sausage for breakfast, fricasseed squirrel dripping with gravy or roast duck could inspire anyone to do their best to "bring home the bacon."

How about the trips to the bay or gulf or bay for seafood - those trips had to be fun! Gathering oysters or clams was a perfect excuse to dabble in warm waters and who knew if one had just fallen, or had purposely dived in? What, "You mean you think I splashed my sister on purpose?" "No way!" OK, it wasn't all fun, but you get the picture!

Guns were not the only means of securing food. Snares, pit or trench traps, spears and bow and arrow were all used, as were nets, potato rakes and shovels. A guy could take a shovel and dig a narrow trench with a deep section at one end, put some grain leading to it and down the ramp and snare quail. They won't back out and can't fly out. The hole at the end is made just deep enough that they can't jump up to walk forward up the ramp. He could take that same shovel to the bay and dig for clams (granted a smaller tool is better, but he could). One more use for the shovel; dig a trench from open water into a small basin and wait for fish to go into the basin, then block it off so they can't get out; another - dig a gopher out of his hole. Bow and arrow and spear are good ways to get fish. Someone got smart and made a trident-like tool to gig fish and frogs and it is still used today.

The list of meats one might expect on a frontier table are Deer, Bear, Beaver, Rabbit, Squirrel, Raccoon, 'Possum, Alligator, Turtle, Pork, Beef, Turkey, Duck, Goose, Pigeon, Dove, Quail and many small birds. Fish include Flounder, Redfish, Trout, Pompano, Snook, Mullet, Sheephead and others. Clams, shrimp, oysters, shrimp mammies, scallops, crab, lobster and a host of fresh water fish rounded out a varied menu. The settlers added milk, cheeses they made and eggs from the various farmyard fowl or, perhaps, from nests they raided in the woods. Homemade cottage cheese is among one of my favorite foods. You can't match its tartness today.

Do you know what these animals are?

Of course getting meat was only the beginning. Animals had to be skinned and gutted. Birds were either skinned or their feathers were plucked off and the down or immature feathers singed off. Hogs were dipped in boiling water and their hair scraped off. Skins that were to be used (and that meant most of the larger ones) had to be carefully removed, scraped, stretched, salted and cured. Carcasses had to be cut up and readied for cooking or preserving. Care was taken to remove all the musk glands that many game animals carried just under their skins and in the groin and underarm areas. They pretty much correspond to our lymph nodes. Also any tough membranes like those on lamb would be removed. Care was also taken not to rupture gallbladders or intestines and the oil sack at the base of the tails of waterfowl, was removed.

Turtles are hard to kill and clean and a 'Possum playing dead has given many an unsuspecting hunter a nasty bite. As a mater of fact, a snapping turtle like the one at left, could take one's finger off. So you can see, it was much more difficult to put food on the table than just going to the grocery store or butcher shop as we do today. But, who knows, maybe all the exercise and fresh air contributed much to a better, healthier life. People certainly didn't have to go to an expensive gym in order to keep fit and polutants in the air had yet to be invented! Also, it should be remembered that gathering and preparing food was just one portion of the chores a person had each day. Many of these folks had homesteads they were trying to improve and were required to plant a certain amount of land, houses and outbuildings had to be built, families raised, and so on.

Our forebears grew up with the taste of wild game, so they weren't as opposed to it as some of us are today. Nevertheless, they may have had meat that was too strong and had to treat it before use. Salt water, vinegar or perhaps excess milk could be used to soak and remove much of the offensive odor and taste. These folk were attuned enough to their foods, that they could usually determine whether or not they needed to do anything before cooking it. They could also usually tell how tough a particular cut might be. (Sometimes the age of an animal determined both.) That would determine its manner of preparation.

Slow roasting over an open fire was one of the easiest ways of preparing a roast, but some tough meets needed slow, wet cooking. Stewing or braising was then done and that gave a busy cook the opportunity to add vegetables so she had only one dish to watch (and wash). Even in the earliest of days there were wild onion-like plants that made good seasoning and salt was a very important, though at times expensive, one. People wanted good tasting, hearty meals, but the busy housewife wanted things as easy as possible except when entertaining. Then, as now, she would put out more effort to show what a good cook she was and how good her husband was as a provider.

Refrigeration was not easy so most meats had to be preserved. That is why it was smoked, sugar or salt cured or sausages made. Cuts of meat were hung in smokehouses and treated with smoke to toughen the outer part making them hard for a critter to get into. It also removed moisture that otherwise would have allowed bacteria and fungus to grow and spoil the meat. Salt, pepper and sugar were used together or separately to preserve some meats. Dried or jerked meat would last for untold lengths of time. Pickling, by a process much like making brined pickles or sauerkraut, was also used — even fish was pickled. Sausages were not only a different taste treat, but also, their shapes made them easier to store. They could simply be hung up. Actually, much of the family's meat supply was stored by hanging either in the smokehouse or larder. Nearly every homestead had a smokehouse and its size might indicate how many people lived there and how prosperous they were. Often the smokehouse had racks in it for smoking fish or other small items.

There were actually some cooling means, but most were not sufficient for meats. People sometimes had a creek that they could dig out a bit and cover to keep away heat from the sun. They stored milk and butter or other "not too fragile" items there. Some folks made boxes to keep ice in. A box would be constructed to hold ice, then it was placed into a second box and the space in between packed with sawdust or straw. Still, until the advent of the commercial icebox and icemaking machines, refrigeration was sketchy at best!

Recipes were as varied as one might imagine. My granny said she never had sausage that was not half deer and half pork, till she was grown and had left home. She also remembered deer hams hung on the porch waiting for her dad to take to the mail boat for shipment to buyers in Pensacola. I'll give you some old recipes soon, but I want to tell you a way you might serve venison to a picky eater, well, at least one who says he doesn't like the strong taste of wild meat. Find a sauerbraten recipe and use venison as the meat. It is wonderful and even my husband, who does not like wild tasting meat, enjoys it.

I've made some of the tastiest sausage from Raccoon and the "hamburger" ground from its meat, rivals that of any beef. The meat is red and fat free, requiring the addition of fat to cook it. Gopher stewed or fried is the most delicious thing, and I loved the pound cake mom used to make with sea turtle eggs and chicken fat. Now many of the wild foods can no longer be used as they are endangered. (And they say chicken fat endangers us!)

Now for some recipes! Let's start with that Fricasseed Squirrel - make that Fox Squirrel. First if he was not trapped, check him over to make sure all the shot is out of him! You would hate to chomp down on a bit of metal while eating! Oops! Skin him first! Remove his innards and cut him into 6 pieces by splitting him through the backbone and then cutting the halves into 3 more pieces, each. OOPS! It's been so long since I did this, I forgot if he has those little scent glands — better check! Then, dredge him in flour, seasoned to taste and fry him in some of the leftover bacon grease from breakfast (or from the crock you have been saving it in from past meals). Fry him up good and brown and remove him from the pan. Make a gravy of well-browned seasoned flour and water (some use milk, but for this, I don't). Put Mr. squirrel back in the pan and simmer in the gravy till he's tender as can be. Best served over grits with some collard greens & cornbread or mashed potatoes, garden peas & biscuits, or . . . Gopher tastes really good that way, too, but you can get a hefty fine nowadays for that one. Maybe you should just take my word for it. I like quail & dove this way as well.

Saddle of venison cannot easily be improved on, so just roast it slowly as you would any fine cut of beef with perhaps a bit of garlic. Other cuts of venison (and bear), were sometimes parboiled with apples, onions, or pepper pods to reduce the wild taste. The meat was parboiled till tender and then roasted. Steaks were cut, seasoned and rolled in flour to fry slowly till tender. Some cooks used pounding to tenderize the steaks.

Volume 1, page 271 of the Foxfire Books gives the following recipe for venison loaf. Mix together 2 1/2 lbs. ground deer meat, 1lb. hog meat, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 large chopped onion, 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs dampened with a little water. Shape into a loaf and bake for about an hour at 400 degrees.

Gator tail, frog legs, quail, dove, Gopher or turtles are wonderful just seasoned, floured and fried.
Once when we had a family reunion, my sister bought some gator so those who were not raised in Florida could sample it. I had my Yankee husband frying the tender little morsels on one of the grills
the park had installed down near the water. It was almost ready, so I walked up to the pavilion where folks were to tell them to bring their plates and get a taste. As I was walking back I thought I would die laughing! There, close to my busy husband was this sign.

Roast waterfowl is best if you stuff the cavity with an onion or some celery. We are not used to the gamy flavor, so often it is better to soak it in milk or vinegar overnight; you know your personal tastes.

The following 2 recipes are from an ancient southern recipe book. They don't really fit the category, but if you're of a mind to try some of the other recipes, you should have something to go with them.

Southern Johnnie cake
2 cups of cornmeal
2/3 cup of milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (lard)
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Mix ingredients into a stiff batter and form eight biscuit-sized "dodgers". Bake on a lightly greased sheet at 350 degrees for twenty to twenty five minutes or until brown. Or spoon the batter into hot cooking oil in a frying pan over a low flame. Optional: spread with a little butter or cane syrup, and you have a real southern treat!

Hoe cake was made either this way or of a flour mixture and actually cooked on a clean hoe. One could prop the hoe as near the coals as needed and didn't have to worry about a pan. The true origin of the name has probably been lost over time. Some say it came from people taking "the makings" out to the field to cook for lunch while they were hoeing. Makes 8 four-inch round cakes. 1 cup white cornmeal; 3/4 cup boiling water; 1/2 teaspoon salt; fat to fry in if you wish. Combine the cornmeal and salt in a bowl and slowly pour in the water stirring constantly. Beat till smooth. If you are actually cooking on a hoe or shovel, you will need to gauge the thickness as well. If frying, heat the fat till very hot over high heat then reduce to low. Fry a few at the time, 2 minutes to a side or till golden brown.

Use freshly ground meat. To about 2 pounds, add 1 TBS crushed pickling spice, from which you first remove the bay leaves and a tsp salt. Mix thoroughly and form into patties. This tastes a bit like polish sausage. A clove of garlic finely minced, is a good addition.

From an online compilation of old recipes from out of print books. http://www.freerecipe.org/

Roast Goose with Potato Stuffing Recipe
1 goose (about 8 pounds)
Potato stuffing
Salt pork if goose is not fat
Salt and pepper
Flour
Select a goose that is about four months old; an old goose is better braised than roasted. Singe the goose, wash it carefully in hot water, and wipe it dry before drawing it. Flatten the breast bone by striking it with a rolling pin. Partly fill the goose with potato stuffing, stitch up the openings and truss it. If it is not fat, lay thin slices of pork upon the breast, but if the goose has considerable fat, omit the pork. Bake in a hot oven (400-480 degrees F.) For forty-five minutes, remove it from the oven, pour out all the fat, sprinkle the bird all over with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and return it to the oven. When the flour is a good brown, pour one cup of hot water into the pan and baste the goose often, dredging it each time with a slight sifting of flour to absorb the fat. Allow eighteen minutes to the pound for a young goose and twenty-five for one that is old. Remove the goose from the pan, add a cup of hot water to the gravy and thicken it, if necessary, with browned flour. Garnish the goose with parsley and serve with giblet gravy. Apple sauce is often served with roast goose. Goslings may be roasted in the same way, allowing, however, only fifteen minutes to the pound for cooking.

Here is more on snares: http://www.wwmag.net/snares.htm
How to catch a rabbit and cook it: http://www.wwmag.net/catchrabit.htm
Here is more on how people lived: http://pages.ancientsites.com/~SacredCircle_Ishi/Issue3/culture.html
Here is more on Native American foods: http://www.ancientnative.org/foods.htm
This link is for civil war recipes and uses originals from our targeted time period: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Barracks/1369/more_recipes.html
Condiments of the era (by the way, did you know that ketchup was not originally made of tomatoes?): http://www.connerprairie.org/cp/condimen.html
History of Brunswick Stew: http://www.snows.com/lov-stew/historybruns.html
Mrs. Goodfellow's cookery as it should be. A new manual of the dining room and kitchen. Publication Date: 1865: http://moa.umdl.umich.edu/cgi/sgml/moa-idx?notisid=AEL7629

Duck pictures: Hines, Robert W. No Date. Ducks at a distance: A waterfowl identification guide. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Natural and Cultural Heritage Association, Albuquerque, NM. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/duckdist/duckdist.htm

Tips On Cooking Techniques (on using a Dutch Oven)
Roasting: The heat source should come from the top and bottom equally. Coals should be placed under the oven and on the lid at a 1 to 1 ratio.
Baking: Usually done with more heat from the top than from the bottom. Coals should be placed under the oven and on the lid at a 1 to 3 ratio, having more on the lid.
Frying, Boiling Etc: All of the heat should come from the bottom. Coals will be placed under the oven only.
Stewing, Simmering: Almost all heat will be from the bottom. Place the coals under and on the oven at a 4 to 1 ratio with more underneath than on the lid.
The Lid!: The lid can be placed on the fire or stove upside down and used as a skillet or griddle. Using the lid in this fashion, you can make virtually error free pancakes and eggs that don't run all over. This is because most lids are shaped like a very shallow bowl so things naturally stay in the center, even if the lid is not level! (From BSA site: http://www.elroynet.com/troop88/dutchoven.html)

Part 2