Foods Our Ancestors Ate (part two)

Other installments will be on this site in coming months. Walking, crawling and flying creatures were in the first. Next, plants. Perhaps baking, later.

Mullet and other fish were often split and propped over the fire on green forked twigs, or on grills. They were also fried, smoked or made into chowders. Flour was generally saved for bread and cake, so, often foods were rolled in seasoned cornmeal before frying. I think smoked mullet is one of life's greatest joys, but for me it has to be pretty dry and cold smoked without additives.

My dad made the best Smoked Mullet I ever ate and he added nothing, simply soaking them in brine and then smoking them over oak or buttonwood. His smoker for many years was an old refrigerator. He had taken the motor out of it and put a small electric plate in the bottom on which he set a cast iron skillet to put his soaked wood in. The burner heated the wet wood and produced a nice consistent smoke. By the way, pine is to be avoided at all cost when cooking - unless you like turpentine flavored foods. (Not Retsina as Greeks use, but nasty pine tar taste!)

Seafood was pretty easy to obtain. Slip your shoes off and wade into warm water to feel around for clams. Make a small net, mount it inside a hoop and attach it to a long pole, and take a string, a bit of weight, and a hunk of spoiled meat and catch some crabs. Just toss the meat into the surf and when you feel a gentle tugging, pull back gently and slowly. When you get the crab close enough scoop him up with the net. Put on some heavy boots, grab your potato rake and a bucket and wade out to an "oyster bar" and gather those tasty morsels. Wade in the flats when the scallops are plentiful and use your net on them, too.

You want shrimp? Ok, that's a bit trickier. You need a moonlit night or someone to hold a lantern for you while you wade through the grass flats dipping them up with your trusty net. Unless you are lucky enough to have a boat or a bridge that is fairly close to the water. Well, of course it's close to the water, I mean not to far above it! Wait for a good running tide and get your lantern positioned close to the water so you can see the shrimps' eyes. They'll be floating along waiting for you to scoop them into your net. Nothing could be finer than to cook your catch minutes after you've collected it. It doesn't take much, either! A pan, a grill, a piece of sheetmetal, or maybe just a match and some dry wood will suffice. Clams and oysters can be placed in the coals or on a grill. Crabs, shrimp, and the shellfish may be boiled in seawater. If you planned ahead, some potatoes, a veggie of some sort and maybe some cornmeal for hushpuppies would top things off.

Stone crabs were easy to catch if you could find a tidal pool. Then one would lie on one's belly for hours waiting to scoop them up in a net. Best to construct a trap and find a rocky area to set it out. Baited with smelly meat, it could catch lots of the tasty crusteceans. Today we only remove one claw (2 3/4") and are careful to let the smaller crabs mature before we harvest them. The claw grows back in about 18 months and the crab is not defenseless, nor unable to eat during that time. Florida lobsters were not known to get this far up the coast, but a member of that family that we called "shrimp mammy" did. They are probably a slipper or shovel-nosed lobster, but I never identified them; just enjoyed them! We ate them as one would shrimp or lobster.

"Conchs" of many kinds inhabited Florida waters, and they were all eaten. They were easily collected in the shallow surf or in brackish bays. The one most common in the panhandle, was actually a whelk. These neat animals are much like garden snails and move by means of a foot to which is attached a hard shell-like trapdoor used to seal themselves into their "home." The muscle is much like those in clams and must be tenderized before cooking. Grinding, pounding and slicing thinly are effective means of doing so. It has a slightly sweet taste and is equally delicious fried or in chowder. The parts of the animal that are not eaten make great bait and the shells have been used for countless centuries as utensils, containers, gardening tools, glasses, in jewelry and as net weights. The Queen conch of the Florida Keys is often eaten raw with a bit of lime.

Spears, bow and arrows and gigs were used along with fishing poles and traps to obtain fish. Castnets were also developed early and were a favorite way of getting a mess of fish. An adept caster could quickly catch enough fish for several suppers.

Razor Clams, Coquina, and other shellfish we know longer use today, were dug at the tide line. I'm sure you have seen the tiny clams that wash ashore, quickly upend themselves and dissapear in the sand. In just a few minutes, armed with a seive, one can collect enough to make a good chowder.

OK, it sounds like seafood is a lot easier to deal with than other meats! Well, you are right on one hand, on the other there are some possible hazards in preparing them for the pot. Shucking oysters can result in serious cuts; their shell edges are razor sharp and heavy cloth or gloves should be used to hold the. A knfe is used to pry open the hinge at the back of the shell (the pointed end), or a tiny nick is made on the lip in which to insert the knife. One then slides the knife backward and slices the muscle holding the shell closed, then scrapes the animal into the pot. When we were opening them at home, my dad would allow the "one for me, one for the pot" proceedure for a very short time, then he would remind us of what we were supposed to be doing. You are not likely to get so badly hurt opening clams, but they can be frustrating; they really resist being opened. Crabs can give one a painful pinch and stone crabs can do serious damage to a finger. Last but not least, is the hazard of tiny bits of shell breaking off into the stew; it's much like biting down on eggshell in scrambled eggs; yuck!

What if you have excess fish? Great! Just salt them down in a crock or big barrell especially made for that purpose. Many people in the area made a good portion of their living by catching, salting and selling fish. The mail boats would take them to Pensacola for sale. People from Alabama would make the trip to Boggy to pick up barrels of fish. Salted Roe (fish eggs) were considered a delicacy. See "Hurry, Rubie, Hurry!"

We have already discussed the smoking of fish, another way to store excess. Bartering extra goods benefited everyone. Those with too many fish might trade for eggs, cane syrup or perhaps a feeder calf.

 Some of the major food fish of the area: flounder, bluegill, redfish, snapper, bass, catfish.

Citrus was not indigenous to Florida being introduced by Spaniards in the 1500s and Ponce De Leon gave each of his sailors seeds to plant wherever they landed. The noted naturalist, William Bartram says Creek women fed him Snapper baked with oranges. Since he was in Florida during our time period, I will include this Indian recipe. (6-8 servings)
2 (2 lb.) red snappers, cleaned
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 oranges, washed and sliced

Place the fish in a large baking pan. Dot each well with butter, and sprinkle with parsley and pepper. Lay the orange slices over the fish. Bake in a hot oven 400 degrees, for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate, 350 and bake for 20 minutes more or until fish flakes at the touch of a fork. (Test at the thickest part.) From The Art of American Indian Cooking, Yeffe Kimball & Jean Anderson.

Bartram mentions another item he was served and the same Native American Cookbook offers this recipe.
Pompano steamed with grapes
(4-6 servings)
4 (1 lb.) pompanos, cleaned
1 pound scuppernong, muscadine, or other grapes, washed and seeded
2 Tbs butter or margarine
Salt and pepper to season
Place fish on a large piece of heavy aluminum foil in a baking pan. Inside each fish place a small lump of butter and 4 grapes. Dot the fish well with butter, and arrange the grapes on top. Cover with a second large piece of foil and seal the edges of the two. Place in a hot oven, 400 degrees, and let steam for 30 minutes. Loosen the top piece of foil, salt and pepper the fish, and baste with the drippings. Reseal and steam for 15 minutes longer. Baste once more with the drippings, and serve. [If you are trying for authenticity, I suspect a tightly covered pan inside a dutch oven would do the same thing.]

I'm not sure of the legal size at the moment, but you will want a rather large fish. Scale and clean the fish. Leave the tail on - it gets crisp and is delicious. Salt and pepper inside and out. Use your favorite bread stuffing and after you have stuffed it, score the thickest part of the fish to the bone and drape bacon slices over it to keep it moist. Bake, uncovered at 350 till flesh flakes easily at the thickest part. Be careful not to overcook. A 6-8 pound fish will take about one-half hour.

This is the red kind as I don't care for the white.

2 1/2 lb cooked conch meat
1/2 lb finely chopped lean salt pork or bacon
2 medium onions, sliced 1/4 inch
1 1/2 tsp finely choped garlic
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 chopped medium tomatoes
1 large potato in 1/2 inch cubes
3 medium bay leaves
3 cups water
salt, pepper to taste and a dash or 2 of tabasco
Grind or chop conch finely, set aside. In a large, heavy pan or dutch oven, fry the pork and then add the other vegetables except for the tomatoes and cook til limp, but not brown. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered till the potatoes are done. Taste for seasoning. Like most things made with tomatoes, this is best served the next day.

Mullet are so important and popular in the area they have their own festival. http://www.mulletfestival.com/
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
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

Seafood clipart by: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:
http://www.fl-aquaculture.com/Seafood_Specific/index.html

A listing of Florida fishes. I am told any that do not say "Exotic" should have been around during the 1800s: http://www.floridafisheries.com/Fishes/sci-name.html

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 3