Month: July 2023

1923 Directions for Calculating Number of Calories Needed Daily

Calorie calculation chart
Source: Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1923)

A 1923 cookbook contained directions for calculating the number of calories needed daily. It also provided an example of how to use the chart:

calorie calculation example
Source: Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1923)

To see if the number of recommended calories has changed across the years, I used an online calorie calculator to estimate the number of calories needed by a 35 year old woman who weighs 125 pounds. The online calculator asked for height. I used 5′ 4″. I also indicated that the woman did moderate exercise 4-5 times per week. The online calculator said that she needed 1827 calories per day to maintain weight which is 423 calories less than the hundred-year-old estimate that 2250 calories were needed per day – but perhaps doing two hours per day of general housework back then required more calories than moderate exercise 4-5 times per week does today.

Old-fashioned Cucumber Salad (Cucumber and Whipped Cream Salad)

Cucumber Salad (Cucumber and Whipped Cream Salad)

Summer’s here, and it’s time to enjoy seasonal salads. I found a hundred-year-old recipe for a cucumber salad made with whipped cream that was delightful. Cucumber slices were coated with whipped cream and a little added sugar and vinegar. This resulted in rich-old fashioned sweet-sour dressing.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cucumber Salad
Source: General Welfare Guild Cook Book (Beaver Valley General Hospital, New Brighton, PA, 1923)

I sprinkled the cucumber slices with 1 teaspoon of salt. I used 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vinegar when I made this recipe, and it had a nice balance of sweet and sour. I’m not sure why the recipe says that the whipped cream mixture should be mixed into the cucumber slices using a silver fork. I used a stainless steel spoon and it worked fine.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cucumber Salad (Cucumber and Whipped Cream Salad)

  • Servings: 3 - 5
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

3 cucumbers

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

Peel and slice cucumbers; put in a glass bowl and sprinkle with  the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes, then drain.

In the meantime, put the cream in a mixing bowl, then beat until firm peaks form. Add sugar and vinegar, beat until blended into the cream. Pour the whipped cream mixture over the cucumbers; stir gently to coat the cucumber slices with the whipped cream mixture. Serve immediately.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com