The Washington herald., 1912-11-30
BY LIDA AMEs WILLIS.


The lines of destruction that formerly
marked the country on in very separate
and distinguishable sections are being
obliterated gradually, but surely. The
spirit of unrest, the desire for pastures
new, has had a very noticeable effect
not only on the disposition and habits
OF our people, but upon the diet as well.
While we may still find on a real South
erner's table. a menu peculiar to the
South and "befo' de wa" these are pass
ing with the capable and reliable old
time good negro cook. Nowadays dis
tinctively Southern dishes are as often
met with in the North as way down in
Dixie And by the same diverting in
huence comes the adaptation Of new In
Productions on the Southern table. New
neighbors moving in from the great pie
belt have made pie quite common. And
such typical dishes as soft egg bread
of or Virginny has quite a Northern
popularity. s
A Northerner taught by precept and
trained by example to observe religiously
all the laws of domestic science and n.y.
giene is apt to have his ideas decidedly
perturbed, to say the least, on his first
acquaintance with the CUISINE of the
common people OF the South:
lneS6. people VINO nave the "eil-lCu
look. the ready, happy-go-Iucky smile
and joke, the friendly welcome, the utter
lack of nerves." and yet apparently ut
terly disregard every dietetic law. They
have more to eat-their table often being
Over-loaded-than people in much better
circumstances up North. They eat more
fat and sweets and have such a bewil-
dering combination of food materials one
does not try to classify, nor attempt to
seek to balance such incongruous rations.
One must take in consideration the
abundance of open air these people enjoy
outside or in. for they rarely shut out
the air, even in winter. as we do in the
North. They take more time to eat,
though many eat but two full meals per
day; and believe in the food they eat,
enjoying IL as one Of the good things of
life. Not a forced necessity, but a pleas
ure that is given to ricn and poor alike
in Gods own country"
When adopting any Of these typical
dishes from Dixieland, 'twere well to
affiliate the spirit as well and get the
same combined result as far as possible
for jewellers In this busy section Of the
country.
Soft Egg Bread.
So many inquiries come in for this
favorlte OF or vIrginny and so many
recipes are published under the name OF
egg bread. spoon bread, &C, which are
not the genuine article, We. have per-
suaded a good old negro nanny" to
give us her version of how it should be
made Remember this fact in your first
experimental attempts. 1t is a batter
bread-this soft egg bread of or Virginny.
In fact, it scarcely can be classed as
bread. as it is served with a spoon like
mush.
Il h., - 10, ab
declares Aunt Jedda-never in a round
or square one. Make the batter with
two eggs. well beaten; two cupfuls of
sour milk. one cup sweet milk, four
tablespoonfuls Southern corn meal, two
spoonfuls lard, and salt to taste. Bake in
a moderately hot oven. 1t should be the
of we'll made mush and
served and eaten with a spoon.
Transparent Pie.
These are a peculiar and delicious crea-
ton the old Southern cook excelled in.
Line patty pans with a good pun paste. |
and fill with following mixture: Beat to
a cream two cups sugar and one cup
Of butter and add six eggs beaten very
light and iavoring Of lemon juice and
little Of the grated peel. Bake in a mod |
crate oven until transparent. Half this
quantity will make good-size pie.
Rich Transparent Pie.
Three eggs, two tablespoonfuls sugar, !
one cup cream. three tablespoonfuls jelly /
Or strained jam, and fiavoring to suit the !
taste Bake in one crust, and when done |
heap on top a meringue made with white /
Of one egg and two tablespoonful of
powdered sugar and brown lightly in
the oven.
Southern Sweet Potatoes.
No seIf-respecting cook of Southern !
birth and training could be induced to |
serve their chief vegetable cooked as 1t !
Is up North. When baked down, as they