St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-25
CHRISTMAS CHEER.
The Indfgestfble Dishes on Which
Our Forefathers Dined.
Egg.H OF, Boar's Head. Peacock, Plum
Pudding and Other Deltcactes.

An all-important item in the matter OF
Christmas festivities is the eating con-
nected Herewith. Nowadays. it is true,
we have fallen sadly off in this respect, and
while the range of Christmas gifts grow:
wider and costlier every year, the Christ
mas dinner has become a sadly common
place affair, preserving its distinctive char
acter only in one or two trifing and insig-
lifcant detais-mince pies. perhaps, OF
plum pu dding, with a sprig of holly
and a spoonful of burning brandy. But
our great-great-grand fathers, who did not
feel themselves called upon to give diamond
earrings to their wives and a rOomful OF
toys to the children. kep the feast in jov-
ial fashion. and with plentitude OF Cood
cheer that brought UNIVERSAL merrlment to
rich and poor. Nor was it, after al. mere
question of eating and drinking in abund-
ance. for every dish placed smoking hot on
the board had peculiar significance OF its
OWN, and was invested with halo of tradi-
tional and tme-honored associations. Partic-
nlar spots had likewise particular delicacies,
which duly made their appearance with each
succeeding Christmas. Thus the egg
hot of Devonshire was as famous
in its way as the Ashton fagot,
and was concocted of cider, eggs
and spices, after the fashion of the Scottish
hetpint. Into this scalding mixture the
rural swain was wont to dip his hot. fresh
baked Christmas cakes and with unimpalred
digestion continued to do the same from
lusty youth to hale old age. While the
lordly peacock graced the table OF the
great, the popular but democratic ''hacken''
~-forerunner of our own mysterious Sau-
abaaf1,lIx tho onffaO
platters, and midway between the two
anne the grim boar's head. dish revered
and loved, sacred to the memory of college
dinners and of civic feasts and OF an an
tiquity that justified the deep respect with
which it was regarded.
Sweet rosemary and bays around it spread;
His foaming tusks with some large plppen
graced,
Or midst those laundering spears an orange
placed,
Sauce like himself. a terror to his foes,
The roguish mustard, dangerous TO the nose.
THE PEACOCK.
Next in universe favor came the roasted
peacock. dish which must have sorely
tested the cooks skill and which was, after
all, more decorative than toothsome. The
skin, with the plumage attached. was
stripped off and the bird, roasted and
stuffed with spices and sweet herbs, was
carefully sewed up again in its gorgeous
feathers, its gilded beak holding bit of
lighted cotton saturated with spirits
It was the privilege of the
Iairest lady to carry on this dish and
of the most honoreJ guest to carve it;
while, when particularly ambitious art
sffect was desired. the peacock was served
up in pie, its plumed head appearing on
one side over the crust and its magnificent
tail sweeping the table from the other.
Geese, capons, pheasantS drenched with
ambergris and pies of carp's tongues were
all popular dishes, with the never-failing
frumenty, without which no fresh meat
was served at Christmas time. A very
ancient receipt for making this dressing is
quoted by Robert Chambers and is vague
enough, especially as to quantity, to be
extracted from any modern cookery book
upon our shelves: Take clean wheat and
bray it in a mortar. that the hulls be all
gone off. and seethe it till it burst. and
take it up and let it cool. And take clean
fresh broth and sweet milk Of almonds, or
sweet milk of kine and temper it all, and
talk the yolk of eggs. Boil it little and
set it down and mess it forth with fat ven
ison and fresh mutton"
THE CHRISTMAS PIE.
Mutton was the chief Ingredient of the
Christmas pie, which, though not the highly
indigeStible article it has since become, yet
offered through its luscious charms no mean
temptation to the hungry sinner. At all
events it had the honor to incur the Puri-
tan's most grievouS anger and displeasure,
and came in for a full share Of the general
anathema:
Plum broth was Popish, and mince pie,
o, that was fat idoltary! q
Baked in a deep and oblong dish, the
Christ cradle, as it was wont to be called,
presented a combination of wholesome
meats and unwholeSome plums and sweet
ening that made it highly acceptable to
young palates and old; the dish, which of
all others, represented the seasons jollity,
and IN ght not be absent from any hospita-
Bile board. For St. Johns day, Dec. 81,
we have the following ditty, expressive of
the feelings of many a serving lad who
viewed with longing ewes the gallant array
Of dainties upon his masters table:
In honor of st. John we thus
Do keep good Christmas cheer;
And he that comes to dance with US,
think he need not spare.
The butcher he hath killed good beef,
The caterer brings it ms
But Christmas pies are still the chief,
If that burst begin.
Our bacon hogs are full and fat
To make the Drawn and souseS
Full we'll may / rejoice thereat
To see them in the house.
But yet the minced pie it is
That sets my teeth on water;
Good mistress, let me have bit,
For do long thereafter.
And will fetch your water in
To brew and bake withal,
Your love and favor still to win
When US you please to call.
Then grant me, dame, your love
and leave
To taste your pie-meat here:
Il is the bes t In my conceit
OF all your Christmas cheer.
PLUM PUDDING.
Plum pottage or porridge, the precursor
of plum pudding. was always served with
the first course of Christmas dinner 1t
was made by boiling beef or mutton in
broth thickened with brown bread. When
half cooked. raisins, currantS, prunes.
cloves. mace and ginger were added, and
the whole stewed into a mess together
The bald recipe does not sound enticing to
us now, but the porridge held its own for
many years against tie ruthless innovators
who finally succeeded in Transforming it
into pudding and banishing it to the end
of the feast. Another dish of even greater
antiquity was Drawn, being the flesh of the
wild boar chopped. seasoned and COM