Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-12-27
..u,lcaster fntellige1lrer.
MONDAY EVENING, DEC. ~, 1890.
Matters GastronOnlfcal.

Matters Gastrenomical.
Suggested by Holiday Feastins.
The original seckel pear tree, $50 years
old, stands OH the shosaof the Delaware.
This tree was produced from a seed that
was washed ashore.
Samuel Moody, of Charlcstown, Vt, is
the champion gOurmand of tho world. He
is 81 years, and lives On the poor farm in
that town. Not long ago, at single sit
ting in the hotel in Island Pond, hc dis
posed of six quarts of oysters, with soup,
eight dozen crackers, forty large dough
nuts, and six mince pies. He claims that
his mother can beat him, as he has known
her to cat ten quart pan of baked beans
at one sitting.
That pride of the American dinner table,
the turkey, has graced the Christmas feast
longer, perhaps, than is generally known.
Tusscr mentions it as forming part OF the
Christmas dinner of an English farmer in
1873.
Beefe. mutton, and porkc, shred pies of the
Pig, veal goose, and capon. and turkie well
drest.
The Christmas fare long years ago was
nobly illustrated by the size of some of
the Christmas pies. As an illustration of
the grand scale on which these were Occa-
sionally made, VIC may quote from the
books OF the Salter' company, in London,
an account OF pic made by the company's s
cook in 1886. 1t consisted Of apeasant,
hare, and q capon, two partridses, two
pigeons and two rabbits. all bOncd and
put into paste in the shape of 4 bird, with
the livers and hearts, two mutton kidneys,
forced meats and egg balls, seasoning,
spice. catsup and picked mushrooms,
filled up with gravy made from tho vari-
GUS bones.
DIR. Schombers, of Reading, in the early
part of his life, spent 4 Christmas 1t Paris
with some English friends. They were
desIrOus of celebrating the season in the
manner of their own country, by ha' ING,
rs one dish ut their table, All English
plum pudding; but 10 cook was found
equal to the task of makingi it. A clergy.
man of the party had, indeed, i recipe
book, but this did not sufficiently explain
the process. DIR. Schomberg, however,
supplied all that was wanting. by throw
ing the recipe into the form of 4 prcscrip-
ton, and sending it to the apothecary to
he made up. To prevent any chance OF
mistake, he directed that it should bC
boiled in cloth. At the specified hour
it arrived, borne by the apothecary's as
sistant, and preceded by the apothecary
himself, dressed according to the profes.
sional formality Of the time. with sword.
Seeing, on his entry into the apartment
instead of signs of Sickness {: table well
filled, and surrounded by company col
very merry faces, he perceived that he Wa:
made i party i'm Il joke that turned o.,
himself, and Indignantly laid his hand OF
his sword, but an invitation to taste hi:
own cookery appeased him, and all wa
we'll.
Mince pies can claim antiquity rs we'll al
everything else. They were known and
highly popular under the name of muttol
pies as early as 1896. They were ais,
called shred and Christmas pies, O
''minclcd'' pies, according to Brand
Seldcn says they were baked in 4 coffin
shaped crust, intended to represent tin
man.cr wherein the infant Saviour wa
laid. This statement, however, was in
correct, rs in old English cookery book:
this crust of 4 pic is generally called ''tht
coffin In IIcrrick' 5 time it was custom
ary to set u watch on the mince pies Oi
Christnlay eve. lest some greedy finger:
should touch thcm-a practice lie thus joe
ularly refers to
Come guard this night the Christmas pie,
That the thief, though nc'cr 80 sly.
With his flesh hooks don't come nigh
To catch il.
From him. who all alone sits there,
Having his eyes still! In his car
And Il deal ot nightly fear,
To watch il.