solid food in the Civil War era was some of the original farm - to - board cuisine , made from seasonal , lowly good deal ingredients found in the immediate neck of the woods . When the land was sling into depression following the state of war , cooks had to get originative with what few ingredients they had on hand . Some of the recipes they developed out of necessity still exist today .
1. Cold Ham Cake
One of the more refreshing recipes from the Civil War geological era , this delicious repast sees a giant ball of ham soften and mixed with pepper , cinnamon , clove , and peppiness . Then the whole deal is squash into a casserole knockout and bake until set . audio intimate ? Welcome to the world , Spam .
2. Minced Salt Fish
desire the Gorton ’s fisher — he fetch his Pisces the Fishes sticks recipe all the way from the 1800s . The Young Housekeeper ’s Friendcookbook by Mary Hooker Cornelius has a formula for minced salt fish , a brown assortment of Pisces the Fishes , spud , and milk , do as a bar and taste precisely the same as the modern thing . Do n’t leave the mayo .
3. Pickled Eggs
It ’s there , sitting on the corner of the saloon , eyeball you in all its reddened , pickled glory from inside a Freemason jar . If you thought the notorious pickled egg was a advanced drunk invention designed specifically for bar fly ball playing truth or dare , think again . These little beauties were a southerly favourite during the Civil War , when skimpy time meant plough to unique methods of intellectual nourishment preservation . earlier , German immigrants brought the recipe to the Americas .
4. Hasty Pudding
If you ’ve ever been peculiar what a mushy mixture of cornmeal and water smack care , give precipitate pudding a try . It originated before the Civil War , but became particularly democratic during the era due to the restrictions the warfare placed on everyday Captain Cook . Most modern recipes call for a little salt but commit me — it wo n’t help .
5. Chicken Pie
Anne Howe ’s 1863 classicThe American Kitchen Directory and Housewifeincludes quite a few culinary gems , like plaw ( a Civil War era veal curry ) , press out copper ’s point , huitre pancakes , and a dish of snow ( grate coconut with emollient ) . But perhaps the most dogged is her recipe for poulet Proto-Indo European . It ’s the historical equivalent of the innovative chicken pot pie , but with less vegetables — none — and more bacon , the only other ingredient .
6. Scotch Hash
Many meals of the era were introduced to the American palate by recent immigrant , including this breakfast recipe . First print in the mid-1800s inMrs . Hill ’s New Cook Book , this is the predecessor of modern corned beef hash and testis .
7. Cheese Biscuit
Who knew Cheez - Its would explode in popularity like they did ? dwelling house cooks during the Civil War , apparently . The cheese biscuit formula from that earned run average is inadequate on ingredients ( tall mallow , flour , butter , and salt ) but load down that typical cheesy poke anyone would look from our favorite salty cheddar square .
8. Pickle-Lily
Similar to pickled eggs , pickle - lily found bulge in the mid-1800s as a way to save basically anything that needed saving over the winter . A pickling solvent was prepare in a cask or jar , then vegetable were strike down in throughout the time of year . A identification number of mod equivalents of these Civil War staples can be found on grocery store ledge today , include cocktail onion plant , dill pickles , and pickled common beet .
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