A Victorian Thanksgiving Menu?

Picture the Victorian era, and America doesn't usually spring to mind. We think of England. Women in elaborate gowns ride in carriages beside men in top hats, cravats, and tailored jackets. Meanwhile, in London town, impoverished waifs with dirt-smeared faces shiver in icy winds. Did you know that the term, “street urchin,” originated in Victorian times? No wonder Charles Dickens featured them in his writing. It's not amazing that we find ourselves transported to the land of Queen Victoria. The era that took Victoria as its namesake spanned her entire reign (from 1837 to 1901). 

America also experienced the Victorian era. It coincided with western expansion and encompassed the Civil War, Spanish-American War,  Mexican-American War, and the annexation of Texas. The Pony Express rose and fell, and a golden spike completed the Transcontinental Railway during this period. Vast herds of buffalo and indigenous nations dwindled in the face of Manifest Destiny. Nineteen states joined the Union. Hawaii's King Kamehameha lit his palace with electric lights. 

A Victorian Thanksgiving Menu

The first Thanksgiving feast didn’t much resemble the traditional meal familiar today. There’s some debate on whether turkey was even present. One of two firsthand accounts mentions them, but not cooked or as the main course. That position may have belonged to duck and geese, unless the wildfowl was carrier pigeon or swan. The pilgrims also ate fish, eel, and shellfish, along with a variety of vegetables (peas, beans, squash, and corn, plus cabbage and carrots). They consumed no mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, as these hadn’t made their way to North America yet. They wouldn't have possessed enough sugar for cranberry sauce. Pumpkins were plentiful, but other pie-making ingredients were not.

By Victorian times, Thanksgiving dinner included traditional dishes we know today but also unusual ones. Jenny June’s American cookery book by J. C. (Jane Cunningham) Croly (1870) suggests the following menu: “Oyster soup, cod, with egg sauce, lobster salad, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mixed pickles, mangoes, pickled peaches, cold slaw, and celery; boiled ham, chicken pie ornamented, jelly, mashed potatoes browned, tomatoes, boiled onions, canned corn, sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli. Mince, and pumpkin pie, apple tarts, Indian pudding. Apples, nuts, and raisins."

Oyster soup

Victorians cherished oysters. They ate these in a variety of dishes, including beef and oyster pie, bacon-wrapped angels on horseback (an appetizer) and on a special plate with a well in the middle for the dipping sauce. It’s not surprising to find them featured in this opulent menu.

Cod with egg sauce

Cod was popular for eating but also the source of cod liver oil, which people often took in the 19th-century to ward off sickness. This seafood dish seems a carryover from the first Thanksgiving.

Lobster salad

This is another luxurious concoction that hearkens to a pilgrim’s feast.

Roast turkey

Turkey shares the honors with other entrées.

Cranberry sauce

The sugar necessary to make cranberry sauce became more readily available in 1876, when America signed the Reciprocity Treaty with Hawaii, allowing the import of tariff-free products from Hawaii. The sugar beet industry was also picking up.

Mixed pickles

Special glass jars framed in plated silver, often with silver-plated tongs or a pickle fork, sat on many Victorian tables. These contained pickled vegetables and fruits. The presence of a pickle castor meant that the family was wealthy enough to pay servants both to fill and serve them. Pickle castors were made of pressed, colored, or art glass and decorated with gargoyles, lattice, beading, cherubs, birds, animals, and other ornamentations.

Mangoes

Loved since Ancient times, mangoes are native to southern Asia but then moved to other tropical climates. They arrived in Mexico in the early 19th Century. They came to Florida in 1862 or 1863 and to California in 1880.

Pickled Peaches

You may not have heard of these delicacies if you’re not a Southerner. That seems the area of the United States where the recipe has survived. (I did see some for sale in an Amish store.) Judging by the number of recipes posted online, pickled peaches are delicious. If nothing else, including them in the Thanksgiving menu provided an opportunity to impress guests by putting out a second pickle castor.

Cold Slaw

No, that’s not a typo. By 'cold slaw' Jenny June’s cookbook means 'cole slaw,' the shredded cabbage salad. This represents a misspelling, as ‘cole’ is the Dutch word for cabbage. A quick search reveals numerous Thanksgiving cole slaw recipes online. One blogger praised this dish because it doesn't wilt like regular salad.

Celery

This humble vegetable has been a Thanksgiving staple for over a century. People serve it chopped with mayonnaise, in celery soup, stuffed with peanut butter or cottage cheese, and more. It’s still going strong.

Boiled Ham

I haven’t tried this method of cooking a ham, but folks swear by it. Here, for the interested, is the original Victorian boiled ham recipe from Mrs. Beeton’s Book Of Household Management (1861).

Chicken Pie Ornamented

You will notice the abundance of meat selections in this menu. People in the past usually consumed more variety than we do today. 

I can link to a Victorian chicken pie recipe, but the ornamenting is up to you.

Jelly

People in the Victorian era loved making savory and sweet molded gelatin dishes. The molds they used are a popular antique item.

Mashed Potatoes Browned

I believe these were not the browned butter mashed potatoes we see today, although those sound yummy, but rather oven-browned mashed potatoes. Duchess potatoes seem the modern equivalent.

Tomatoes

Victorians preferred cooking their vegetables. They probably sliced and baked or stewed tomatoes, as shown in this article from VegHotPot.

Boiled Onions

This may refer to the creamed pearl onions we serve at holiday feasts today. Americans use onions in lots of dishes, but we tend to overlook them as a separate vegetable. New England Recipes provides instructions on boiling onions.

Canned Corn

Corn is a uniquely American vegetable, which makes it perfect for Thanksgiving.

Sweet Potatoes

Christopher Columbus carried this tuber to Spain, and it was cultivated in Virginia by the early-1700s. Recipes don’t pair marshmallows with them until around 1917, although American Cookery (1796) by Amelia Simmons contains a recipe for potato pudding topped with egg whites and baked.

Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli likes cooler weather, and it’s vibrant around Thanksgiving.

Mince

This strikes me as more a British traditional item. Victorians liked to add meat to their mince recipes, like this one by From the Larder.

Pumpkin Pie

America’s standard Thanksgiving dessert takes a bow! Lisa Cook teaches how to create a light Victorian version.

Apple Tarts

Victorians loved pies and tarts, something we have in common with them. What could pair better with pumpkin pie than apple tart? Honestly, I don’t know how anyone would have room for dessert after everything else on this menu.

Indian Pudding

This treat is a historical dessert made from cornmeal and molasses. Early colonists created it, possibly as a substitute for hasty pudding. I’d never heard of it before, and you might not have either. The recipe is not well-known, but the view from great island has us covered.

Apples, Nuts, and Raisins

Hosts included these items to fill any possible empty spaces in guests’ stomachs. Right? ;) 

Whew! Just thinking about cooking that meal is exhausting, and most people couldn't afford such a spread. Not to worry. The mixed pickles give away that folks with servants served this feast. I think this was the ideal that folks strove to attain, kind of like trying to scale up your home to match beautiful images on Pinterest. Still, breaking away from tradition to try something new doesn't hurt. I want to include Indian pudding in this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. How about you?

What's New with Janalyn Voigt

Fall is the perfect time for sinking into a comfortable chair and reading. It's one of my favorite things to do. Adding a  cozy fire earns me bonus hygge points. No, I didn't swear. 'Hygge' (pronounced hoo' ga) is a Danish word for that feeling of contentment you feel while drinking hot chocolate with snow flying outside the window. It comes when you dine by candlelight with someone you love. Watching vintage movies in your pajamas is sure to bring it on. 

These days, we could all use more hygge in our lives. I hope, as the days grow shorter and darker, that you will take time to savor quiet moments and good company.

Janalyn Voigt is the author of the Montana Gold western historical fiction series and the Tales of Faeraven medieval epic fantasy series. Learn more about Janalyn Voigt.

FROM WHENCE DID THE CRANBERRY COME & “RECIPE”

By Mary Davis

 

Cranberry sauce from a can or made fresh? Which do you serve? I always served from a can, until my daughter started taking culinary classes in high school and asked if she could make fresh cranberry sauce. It was delicious. So when she’s around, we have fresh cranberry sauce goodness. When it’s just me cooking, I wield the can opener. It wasn’t until 1912 that we could have this commercially processed goodness, but cranberries were popular long before they were canned.

Cranberries are one of the few fruits native to North American and were a staple for the Native Americans. The Lenni-lenape called them Pakim meaning bitter berry. They were a symbol of peace and friendship. The Chippewas word for them is a’ni-bimin, the Narragansetts’ is sasemineash, and the Algonquin referred to them as atoqua. The fruit was used for a variety of things, like remedies, foods, drinks, and fabric dyes. They used them in an energy-bar type of food called pemmican.

Early American settlers called them “craneberries” because the flower resembled the head of a sand crane. It is said that the Pilgrims were given them at the first Thanksgiving. Each year, one-fifth of all harvested cranberries are eaten on Thanksgiving.

Back in the day, barrels of cranberries were kept aboard clipper ships to help prevent scurvy.

There are many references and mentions of cranberries from 1550 through the present, with cranberry dishes showing up in cookbook after cookbook. Barrels of berries and plants were shipped back to England, and cranberry dishes became as delicacy in some parts of Europe. The Harvard University commencement dinner in 1703 served cranberries.

Revolutionary War veteran Captain Henry Hall came across wild cranberries on Cape Cod and became the first person to successfully cultivate them. The commercial cultivation of these tart berries started in 1816 in the U. S.

Attorney Marcus L. Urann revolutionized the cranberry industry when he bought a cranberry bog and canned the fruit in 1912. In time, he established a cranberry cooperative that went on to be renamed Ocean Spray. By 1940, he had canned the gelatinous log of cranberry sauce we know and love today.

What is your favorite cranberry dish?

Mine is what I call Cranberry Delight. Basically, chocolate covered fresh cranberries.

They are simple to make. Wash the cranberries and allow them to dry completely. Melt any kind of candy coating chocolate. Coat a handful of cranberries at a time and put them on wax paper to cool until the chocolate hardens. My favorite is white chocolate. The tartness of the cranberry with the sweetness of the chocolate is oh so tasty. You can read my more in-depth directions and see pictures HERE. https://marydavisbooks.blogspot.com/2021/11/tuesday-tidbits-cranberry-delight.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you prefer your cranberry sauce with or without chunks?

~~~~~

The QUILTING CIRCLE Series 

Historical Romance

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily the man she loves?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *2020 Selah Awards Finalist & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *2021 Selah Awards Winner& WRMA Finalist*– Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) –Complications arise when a fancy French lady, Geneviève, steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

NEW RELEASE!!! THE LADY’S MISSION (Book5) – Will Cordelia abandon her calling for love?

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR, THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Quilting Circle 3) is a Selah Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection , Prodigal Daughters Amish series, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-eight years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

 Books2Read  Newsletter  Blog   FB  FB Readers Group   Amazon   GoodReads   BookBub

Sources:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brief-history-cranberries-180957399/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry
https://www.cranberrycreations.com/history-of-cranberries
See it grow: CRANBERRY, by Jackie Lee, Bearport Publishing, 2016

Thomas Jefferson said “what?” about Thanksgiving? And a few more fun facts about Thanksgiving Day.

So, let’s get started . . .

1. Abraham Lincoln instituted the very first official Thanksgiving in 1863. This was only after Sarah Hale, the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary had a Little Lamb and editor of the woman’s magazine, Lady Godfrey’s Book, bombarded congress with letters and public outcry to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

2. George Washington wanted a day of thanks, and while some of congress

Thomas Jefferson

supported the idea, Thomas Jefferson said something to effect that an official Thanksgiving Day was one of the stupidest things he’d ever heard of. Hmmm, I wonder what he’d think about it now?

3. On Thanksgiving Day, American’s eat enough to gain an average of 1.3 pounds. And speaking of the holiday feast, did you know that Ben Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird? I think we did well in choosing the bald eagle instead, don’t you?

4. The tradition of pardoning a turkey dates back to President Lincoln. When Abe’s son Thad befriended a turkey slated for the Whitehouse dinner table, his father, the most powerful man in the world…saved the critter from a fated demise. Thus, unwittingly pardoning the first turkey. Oh, and for an added layer of information, the turkey’s name was Jack. J

5. Though the tradition of playing football on Thanksgiving has been historically met with controversy from religious folks who want to keep the day dedicated to

giving thanks, football has had a strong hold in the traditions of the day. Thanksgiving Day Football’s popularity exploded when in 1876 Yale and Princeton played their first game in front of a crowd of nearly 40,000 people. Then, in 1934, the Detroit Lions began their Thanksgiving Day traditional game playing the Chicago Bears, followed by the Dallas Cowboys joining in the holiday tradition in 1966. I grew up in Michigan and my aunt, uncle and cousins never missed a Thanksgiving Day Lion’s game . . . regardless of how they played. (My Michigan people understand)

6. In 1924, the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was actually a Christmas Day Parade, and instead of balloons and floats, the event boasted live animals, clowns and cowboys. Created to draw attention to the New York City Macy's store, (AKA) the Macy’s Day Parade paid store employees to dress up in

Felix the Cat

costume and walk with the Central Park Zoo animals six miles from Herald Square to Harlem. The gimmick worked. 250,000 people attended the first parade and the tradition was born. Macy’s kept the same format for three more years. In 1927, Felix the Cat was the first gigantic balloon float . . . and the rest, as they say . . . is history.

7. When and where the actual first Thanksgiving took place is somewhat controversial, but the traditionally celebrated, Pilgrim and Wampanoag attended, Pilgrim Colony located, Thanksgiving feast of 1621, was a three-day feast. Both the Wampanoag and Pilgrims brought food to share. There was a variety of seafood, venison, waterfowl, berries, pumpkins, and wild turkey. Much of the same fair is served on today’s traditional Thanksgiving tables. In fact, it’s estimated that Americans eat 46,000,000 turkeys on Thanksgiving Day alone. Modern Americans have added the cornbread-sausage stuffing (or whatever your geographical area adds to their bread dressing) and gravy but pumpkin and apple pies and corn casserole have a long history of feeding Americans during our Thanksgiving feast.
 

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I hope you take a moment to reflect on what fills your heart with thanks. As for me, I can’t help but remember my best friend who passed away a few months ago. On the same day she lost her battle with cancer, I won mine. Life is . . . funny. She made me a better person, and I’m so grateful for her part in my life. I’m also filled with gratitude for a new friend I’ve recently made, and I’m excited to see where our future might lead.

Thanks for joining me today here at Heroes, Heroines and History and I wish you all a very blessed and joyous Thanksgiving Day. 

________________________________________________

Multi award-winning author, Michele K. Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and ten grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. Michele loves to hear from readers on Facebook, Twitter, and here through the group blog, Heroes, Heroines, and History at HHHistory.com. 

Michele is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.