The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-03-03
0LD.TIME GEORGIA DINNERS.

An old-fashioned gentleman, grow
ing eloquent OH the subject of south
ern hospitality, and the viands that
were set before friends and neighbors
when invited to a feast, a reporter
said:
"Will you state your recollections
of what was served on such occasions
if I write it down 7"
"Of course WILL" was the reply.
81 can see such table in my minds
eye right now. First there was soup,
of course. If it was cold weather we
had oyster soup, or perhaps fish. If
it was in the midst of the vegetable
season, we had rich, high-colored beef
soup, with plenty of tomatoes, okra,.
grated corn and such like, wel1-pro-
portioned and we'll seasoned with pep
per and little onion.
when the soup plates were taken
off, and after the tureen was set aside,
then a fine, home-raised ham took its
place in front of the hostess. can
discern the delicious flavor right now
in my recollection. Sometimes the
skin was peeled off and the outside
plentifully sprinkled or busted with
black pepper, and that delicious meat
was good as long as piece was left
on the bone. For my part, I liked it
best with the skin left on, because the
meat was cured SO perfectly that even
the skin was toothsome and preserv-
ed the juices until the meat was con-
front of the host you would see fine
roast turkey-if the season was win.
ter or early spring garnished with
parsley or slices of cold boiled eggs.
The dressing was rich, made of bread
crumbs otherwise pan was filled
with thick rich batter, plenty of eggs,
plenty of butter, daintily seasoned
and cooked until the stufing was of
the right consistency, and then the
fowl was packed full, and the little
cakes of the dressing, baked along in
the pan to garnish the sides of the
great turkey dish. If the time was
mid summer, the turkey was replaced
by huge dishes of fried chicken and
baked chicken, sometimes with the
fowl 'smothered.' The chicken menu
was varied if the time was ripe for
kid meat or fat mutton, as it happen
ed. Late in the fall a shoulder of fat
pig or a whole young pig was seen
roasted to turn.
"All along down the table you
would find bowls of apple sauce, green
or dried /; stewed peaches, sweet and
choice; rice, every grain standing
alone pickles of all kinds, potatoes,
butter, honey, light bread, nice beat
en- biscuits, and such desserts. Mince
pies, apple and peach pies, the crust
crisp and faky; apple dumplings,
rich with sugar, spice and butter
cakes that were cakes sure enough /;
sponge jelly and pound cake that took
an hour to make and three to cook !;
fruit cake that was better six months
after it was made than at first; jel-
lies, preserves, boiled custard and syl
labub that it makes my mouth water
to recall them in such bountifu1 pro-
fusion. Gracious plenty was in the
kitchen as we'll as in the house, and
no chef in the millionaire's kitchen is
as much gratifed as the old-tirne
cook, whose handkerchief or turban
was as white as her fresh apron was
spotless whenever her mistress called
her name and introduced her to the
ladies who fingered at the table after
the men folks had gone to the piazza
parlor for an after-dinner smoke. p
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