Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-09

the swinging cranes, OF Ddk-
ed in the old fashioned brick ovens?
Were the housewives Of the early days Of
the last century able to attain the Gull
nary results of the present age and was
the food either wholesome or palatable:
There fell into the writer's hands recent
~ a little leather-covered book which in
manner answers these questions. At
least its $50 pages contain a deal of in
formation not only regarding the food
materials which were available in 1905,
but how they were prepared.
1t is reasonable to believe that food
stuffs were pure in those days, and We
know that many kinds of food were very
cheap. compared with the soaring prices
of 1910. If materials were both cheap
and good one need mot be surprised that
the cookery was prepared In such lavish
quantities. or that a bag of flour that
would last an average family a week in
this age was used up In one baking Of
pies. with other ingredients in proportion.
Perhaps the receipts in this little volume
In the main do not diner greatly from
formulas that may be found in similar
books of today, though it is interesting to
note that some materials considered indis-
pensable in modern cookery are conspicu-
Gus by their absence. Flavoring extracts
are not mentioned. nor are soda and
cream Of tartar referred to anywhere
while baking powders were unknown. 1t
may be noted, also, that housewives in
1910 were able to worry along without
the thousand and one ready prepared SUBJ
stances and food ingredients that are OBJ
tainable today from srocers everywhere.
Some of the food prepared after these
receipts was doubtless rich-too rich, and
too highly seasoned-but the frills and the
fancy dishes do not appear. everything
being for the most part on the order sub
stantial. The cooking school was thing
Of the future, and the imported French
chef had not arrived.
In lieu of f1avoring extracts they used
quantities of rosewater. orange flower
water. almonds, coriander seed and the
juice and rind of fresh oranges and
lemons, and they introduced wines and
brandies into all forms Of cookery with
out stint Constant use was made Of
the kitchen garden herbs, and they ran
the gamut of the spices. These were abb
solutely pure, however. for the cook
were required. Even perfumes were
sometimes employed. as in whip cream
musk at that. This receipt and those
which follow are copied verbatim:
"whipt Cream-Take quart of cream
and the whites of eight eggs, beaten with
half pint of wine, mix it together and
sweeten it to your taste with double-re-
fined sugar; YOU may perfume 1t nf You
please with musk or ambergum tied in
a rag and stepped Q little in the cream.
Whip it with a wbisk and a bit Of lemon
peel tied In the middle of the whisk, take
OFF. the froth with spoon and put into
glasses
There was no greedy beef trust, nor
were there cold storage houses. in 1910.
and meats cost from 5 to ) cents per
cents. Over one-third
of the book Is taken up with quaint
directions for preparing all kinds Of
ing of soups. There are elaborate rules
for roasting and stuffing. for broiling,
boiling and stewing, and for making
hashes and fricassees Sweet herbs were
into nearly everything cooked
in the meat line. and even fsh; wines
were used in preparing meats and high
and splicing was the rule. Here
is one OF the receipts for 'Alamode Beef:
Take round of beef and stuff 1t with
half pound pork, half pound butter, the
soft Of half a loaf of wheat bread. boil
four eggs very hard chop them up: add
sage, parsley, summer savory, sweet mar
iarum and one ounce Of cloves pounded,
chop then, all together with two eggs
very fine, and add gill OF wine, season
very high with salt and pepper. Cut
holes in your beef TO put your stuffing in.
then stick whole cloves IN the beef, then
put it into two-pail pot with sticks at
the III YOU WISH 10 nave TIC DceI
round when done put IT into a cloth and
bind 1t tight with twenty or thirty yards
Of tw,ne. put it into your pot with three
quarts Of water and one gill Of wine. A
large round will take three or four hours
to boil.
Among the quaint receipts is one Ito
dress a beefstake SUFFICIENT for two gen.
tlemen, with fire made of two news
papers," Let the beef be cut In slices,
and laid on a pewter platter. Pour on
water sufficient to cover them, salt and
pepper we'll. cover with another platter
inverted then place your dish upon a stool
bottom upwards. the legs of such length
as to raise the platter three inches from
the board; cut your newspapers into small
strips, light with a candle and apply
them gradually. so as to keep a live fire
under the whole dish till the whole are
expended, when the stake will be done:
butter may then be applied SO as to
render it grateful.
Eggs were ten or twelve cents per
dozen and they were used in' combina-
ton with all foods. AS individual dishes,
however, there is but one receipt for
cooking eggs, az follows:
To broil eggs-frst put your salamander
into the IRE, then cut a slice round a