Some foods just seem to go together – bacon and eggs, burgers and fries, meat and potatoes. . . I could go on and on. I recently came across a list of food combinations in a hundred-year-old cookbook, and was surprised to see some of the suggestions. Roast mutton, mashed potatoes, brown sauce, and turnips anyone?
It was fun to read the list.
I’m glad you like the list. I also enjoyed it.
I’m glad some of the meat items are not popular any more, like fried rabbit.
Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I’ve considered doing a rabbit recipe for this blog – though never have. I’ve seen many rabbit recipes in hundred-year-old cookbooks, and frozen rabbit is sold at my local supermarket. However, what stopped me was that the frozen rabbit was extremely expensive. I think that a frozen rabbit costs more than $30.
Tastes change and I’m surprised about some of the PA Dutch meat items I ate as a kid, such as veal heart. Not on the menu at my house. My girls eat very little meat, although not really vegetarians.
How true. Sometimes I see recipes in old cookbooks that call for heart, oxtail, tongue, etc. I’m not sure that I really want to try them – but the deciding factor against making them is that I have no idea where I’d buy them.
Someone a long time ago had to fill up some space I think! There were probably a hundred more possibilities!
I think you may be right, Dorothy!
🙂 Aren’t things like this sometimes even called “fillers”?
As in England at that time, it’s all a bit brown and grey, isn’t it?
Good point. Meat was in important part of most meals. Also, probably many of the fruits and vegetables were only available seasonally back then.
And indeed, many of us prefer to eat seasonally even now. I know we do.
Boiled fish? I know tongue was popular, but the look of it was such a turn-off I would not eat it if my grandmother served it. When I was in grad school we had some kind of “cultural” meal and tongue was served. I tried several foods I had never eaten, but could not bring myself to try tongue. I guess currant jelly with rabbit was similar to mint jelly with leg of lamb?
I really like currant jelly, but it’s often difficult to find at the store. I think that it was much more popular a hundred years ago. It’s tart sweetness probably nicely balanced rabbit or other meats.
Good to know!
Always potatoes, no rice? I know we had rice at my maternal grandmother’s. I only remember potatoes at my paternal grandmother’s.
The non-incusion of rice probably says something about the location and ethnicity of the author.
We ate a lot of potatoes, but also a lot of rice. It was more common in our area of Texas as a breakfast cereal.
We ate a lot of potatoes, but also a lot of rice. Rice was more common as a breakfast cereal in our area, though now I use it in all kinds of things.
It looks about right – lamb and mint jelly a classic. Broiled steak and onions seems a natural fit. Any pork (chops, roast, ham) goes well with applesauce or really any form of apples!
It’s interesting how many of the food combinations have stood the test of time.
So many combinations are still served together although I’m not familiar with creamed celery.
Creamed vegetables were very popular a hundred years ago. Back then they creamed almost any vegetable.