Who Carved the Turkey in 1925? . . . and in 2025?

Table and plates with roasted turkey — Source: Ladies Home Journal (November, 1925)

Many things have changed over the past hundred years, while other things have remained the same. Who carved the Thanksgiving turkey in 1925 and who carves it now?

A hundred years ago, the hostess cooked the turkey, while her husband, the host, generally carved it. According to an article in the November, 1925 issue of Ladies Home Journal:

The platter serving the royal turkey should be placed in front of the host. . . The hot dinner plates are placed in two piles in front of the carver. To make room for the carving the host very quietly moves his water and cider glasses and salad plate to one side.

. . . Thus the hostess is left free after she has placed the platters of turkey and vegetables to see that everyone’s desires are cared for.

The belief that the host carved the turkey was reaffirmed by the iconic 1943 cover of Saturday Evening Post that showed an older woman wearing an apron setting a huge turkey in front of an older man with carving cutlery laid out in front of him. Later there were movies such as the 1989 classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where host Clark Griswold carves the turkey, which reinforced the concept that the host carved the turkey at holiday gatherings.

Families, however, sometimes developed their own family traditions. In our household, my husband and I jointly carve the turkey in the kitchen before bringing the sliced turkey to the table. More recently our children and children-in-laws sometimes help with the carving.

The author of a recent Today post wrote:

With gender no longer a determinant in who should wield the carving cutlery, my suggested descending pecking order is as follows:

The one with the sharpest skills

The one who craves the honors

The one who did the cooking

And if all else fails? The adult victor of the previous year’s wishbone contest.

Old-Fashioned Giblet Gravy

Giblet Gravy in gravy boat

A hundred years ago when cooks were making turkey or chicken gravy, they often added chopped giblets (gizzard, liver, heart, neck) to the gravy. I always assumed that they added the giblets because they were frugal and did not want to waste anything, but after making Giblet Gravy using 1925 directions, I now realize that my assumptions were not totally accurate. Those cooks, so many years ago, may have been frugal, but they also knew that the giblets added lovely, complex flavors and textures to the gravy while making it rich and savory.

Over the years, when selecting recipes to make, I skipped over Giblet Gravy recipes. I had bad memories of the Giblet Gravy my mother and grandmother made when I was a child (though I’m not sure that I ever actually ate any of it), and I had little interest in trying a hundred-year-old recipe for Giblet Gravy. But this year, I came across a 1925 Thanksgiving menu in an old issue of Ladies Home Journal that listed Giblet Gravy as one of the foods on the menu, so I finally decided that it was time to give it a try. And, I am glad that I did. This classic gravy is a delightful comfort food that is lovely on mashed potatoes, slices of turkey, and stuffing.

The directions for making Giblet Gravy were somewhat scattered in a 1925 cookbook that I have, but here are the original directions for cooking giblets and making the gravy:

Recipe for Giblet Gravy — Source: The Home Makers’ Cooking School Cook Book (1925)

Today, the giblets typically packaged with a turkey or chicken include the gizzard, liver, heart, and neck. The membrane with the “grist” generally has already been removed from the gizzard, so that does not need to be removed. The old recipe also mentions the bladder – but I did not include it when I updated the recipe. I also did not include the wing tips or the claws in the updated list of ingredients.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Giblet Gravy

Servings: 8 - 10
Time: 20 minutes active prep time
Difficulty: moderate
Print

giblets from one turkey or chicken (gizzard, heart, liver, neck)

water

liquid and drippings from pan that the turkey or chicken was cooked in

4 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper

Step 1. The giblets can be cooked while the turkey or chicken is roasting. Put the giblets in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Put on the stove and bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 1 – 2 hours). Additional water can be added during cooking if needed to keep the giblets covered during cooking. Remove from heat and take the giblets out of the broth. Reserve the giblet broth. When the giblets are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the neck and any gristle from the gizzards, then chop the cooked giblets.

Step 2. When the turkey or chicken is removed from the oven, pour the liquid and pan drippings from the roasting pan into a bowl. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the drippings. Let it settle and cool a little, then skim 4 tablespoons of fat off the top of the liquid. (Any additional fat can be skimmed off the top of the broth and discarded.)

Step 3. Combine the broth and drippings from the turkey or chicken with the broth from cooking the giblets.

Step 4. Put the 4 tablespoons of fat in a saucepan. Heat using medium heat, and stir in the flour. Gradually add 2 cups of the combined turkey and chicken broth/drippings, while stirring constantly.

Step 5. Bring to a boil while continuing to stir constantly. If the gravy is too thick add additional broth. If the gravy is still too thick, and additional liquid is needed, add water until the gravy is the desired consistency. (If the gravy is lumpy, strain, then return to pan.)

Step 6. Stir in the chopped giblets, then continue heating until the gravy again boils.

Step 7. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and serve.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

1925 New York City Milk Bar

Why isn’t milk a popular drink option in restaurants, at sports events, and at other places where beverages are served? Coffee bars and shops are ubiquitous, and juice bars exist for those seeking healthier options. Beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages (as well as mocktails) can be enjoyed at restaurants and bars. but a cold glass of milk is seldom featured as a drink option. “Milk mustache” ads once promoted drinking milk, but I haven’t seen one in years.

A hundred years ago, the U.S. was in the middle of the prohibition era, and people were looking for other drink options. According to a short article in the September, 1925 issue of Farm Journal, there was a “milk bar” in New York City’s Grand Central Station:

Article about NYC Milk Bar — Source: Farm Journal (September, 1925)

Did commuters in their business suits and dresses grab a quick glass of milk on their way to and from work? Maybe families visiting the city’s museums had some milk before catching the train home. And, maybe stylish people downtown for a day of shopping balanced a glass of milk while toting bags filled with the latest fashions.

In order to learn more about this counter selling milk in Grand Central Station, I searched for additional information, but had little luck – though I discovered that there now is a chain of bakeries called Milk Bar (including the company’s flagship bakery in New York City) that are not known for their milk, but rather for “compost cookies” and other sweets.

I want to believe that the original milk bar in Grand Central Station was a huge success, but the fact that I can find nothing to corroborate the Farm Journal article makes me think that it may not have lasted long.

Still, in our current era, when poor nutrition is endemic, maybe there is a need to once again have actual milk bars where milk is promoted as a popular drink of choice.

Old-Fashioned Orange Bread and Muffins (Orange Marmalade Bread/Muffins)

It’s fun to bring treats to meetings and gatherings with friends. I enjoy making new “old” recipes, and attendees are captive audiences for testing the foods I make. One day last week I needed to make snacks for a coffee group in the morning, and for the November meeting of the garden club in the evening. I found a hundred-year-old recipe for Orange Bread that sounded very flexible. The recipe said that the bread could be baked in a round pan (and implicitly it suggested that the bread could also be baked in the typical rectangular pans), and that the bread mixture could be put in muffin pans. It called for using orange marmalade to provide the sweetness and the orange flavor.

I made this recipe three times. Once to see how Orange Bread turned out (it was excellent); and, two more times to get enough bread and muffins for the coffee group and garden club meeting. Since the recipe said it could be made in a variety of ways, I made a round loaf, small rectangular loaves, regular-sized muffins, and small muffins.

The Orange Bread and Muffins were easy to make. The muffins had a slightly denser texture than the bread. They all had a lovely, sunny citrus flavor. The bread (or in one case, muffins) went quickly at the events, and I received lots of compliments.

My husband and I are having some other friends over to the house for coffee next week. I may make the Orange Bread or Muffins again for them (or I may flip through my hundred-year-old cookbooks a little more and find a different recipe to try for them).

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Orange Bread/Muffins — Source: Diamond Jubilee Recipes compiled by The Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Paul, MN

I used butter for the fat in this recipe. The recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of melted fat. That is the equivalent of 1/4 cup, so I updated the recipe to say 1/4 cup since it is easier to measure.

The bread and muffins are tasty when they are made following the original recipe directions, but are a little less sweet than many modern quick breads. When I updated the recipe, I included an option of adding 1/4 cup sugar. With added sugar, the degree of sweetness is similar to many modern quick bread recipes.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Orange Bread/Muffins (Orange Marmalade Bread/Muffins

Time: 35 - 50 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
Print

This recipe makes 1 large loaf, 3 small loaves, approximately 12 regular muffins, or approximately 36 mini-muffins.

3 cups bread flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar (optional)

1/4 cup melted butter

3/4 cup orange marmalade

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl.

Step 3. In another bowl, beat the egg and stir in the milk.

Step 4. Slowly add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Add about a quarter of the liquid at a time, and stir between each addition of liquid.

Step 5. If desired, stir in the sugar. Then stir in the melted butter, and finally stir in the orange marmalade.

Step 6. Put into prepared bread pans or muffin tins. Bake a large bread loaf for approximately 40 minutes, small loaves for approximately 30 minutes, and muffins for 15 – 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and a wooden pick comes out clean.

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1925 Thanksgiving Menu

The foods we eat have changed over the past hundred years; but, for many, the Thanksgiving dinner menu remains very similar to what it was a hundred years ago. Actually, the traditional turkey meal was already considered “old-fashioned” in 1925. A Thanksgiving menu that appeared in the November, 1925 issue of Ladies Home Journal was labeled “old-fashioned.” It included many of the same foods we commonly eat on Thanksgiving today, as well as some, such as Spinach Timbales, that are seldom eaten now.

When I looked at the old menu, I was surprised how many of the foods on the menu I have made over the past several years:

Cranberry Sauce (Cranberry Jelly)

Cranberry Tarts

Spinach Timbales

Squash Pie

Over the years, I also posted various hundred-year-old Thanksgiving menus. Some were more complicated (or more “modern”) than this 1925 one. It’s always been a delicate balancing act to get the right balance between serving traditional foods that family members have enjoyed for generations, and providing foods that are currently popular and may better meet the dietary needs and preferences of attendees. Here are the links to the other Thanksgiving menus I’ve posted:

1917 Thanksgiving Menus

1921 Thanksgiving Menus

1924 Thanksgiving Menus

Old-Fashioned Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple

Whew, the year is flying by. It is already November and it will soon be Thanksgiving. I’m starting to plan my Thanksgiving meal, which, of course, will include sweet potatoes. This year, I don’t want to make Candied Sweet Potatoes (boring) or Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows on top (too sweet); yet, to give a nod to tradition (and to keep my guests happy), a little brown sugar on the sweet potatoes would be good. With all these thoughts swirling through my head, my next step was to flip through hundred-year-old cookbooks to look for a promising sweet potato recipe.

And, I found a winner. Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple is easy to make, tasty, and makes a lovely presentation. Sweet potatoes are halved lengthwise, topped with half of a pineapple slice, and then smothered with a brown sugar and cinnamon sauce.

The Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple have the familiar rich caramel of brown sugar with an additional hint of cinnamon. The warm cinnamon notes balance nicely with the sunny pineapple and the earthy sweet potato.

This recipe made the cut and goes on my Thanksgiving menu.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Sweet Potatos with Pineapple — Source: Cookbook compiled by the Women of the Country Club Christian Church, Kansas City, Missouri (1925)

Here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple

Servings: 6 - 12
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
Print

Note: The number of sweet potatoes used in this recipe is somewhat flexible. The size of the sweet potatoes and how many fit in the dish should be considered. Relatively small, uniform sweet potatoes that are not particularly long work well with this recipe.

4 – 6 medium sweet potatoes

4 – 6 slices of canned pineapple

1 teaspoon salt

Water

Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups brown sugar

¾ cup water

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

Step 1. Peel the sweet potatoes, then cut lengthwise. Put the cut sweet potatoes in a Dutch oven or large saucepan; cover with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes have just softened (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and drain. (Do not overcook. The sweet potatoes should still maintain their shape and not be extremely soft.)

Step 2. Preheat oven to 350° F. Arrange the cooked sweet potato halves in a flat baking dish. (I used a 7 X 11 inch baking dish, though there is sufficient sauce to use a 9 X 13 inch dish, if desired). The sweet potato halves should be placed close to each other in the baking dish with the rounded side down. If the sweet potatoes are not level (or if some are higher than others), use a knife to trim off a small portion of the rounded side.

Step 3. Put half of a pineapple slice on top of each sweet potato half.

Step 4. In the meantime, make the sauce. Put the butter in a saucepan, then melt using low heat. Add the brown sugar, ¾ cup water, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; stir to combine. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes (or until the sauce begins to thicken); stir occasionally.

Step 5. Pour the sauce over the sweet potatoes and pineapple. Put in the oven, and cook until hot and bubbly (20 – 30 minutes). If the top of the sweet potatoes and pineapple looks dry midway through the cooking time, baste using a spoon to put a little of the syrup over them.

Step 6. Remove from oven and serve.

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“A Hundred Years Ago” Featured by WordPress

WordPress recently featured A Hundred Years Ago in its list of 11 Delicious Food Blog Examples (And How to Follow Their Lead). It is #3 on the list. I’m very humbled and honored that this blog was included. There are lots of incredible food blogs on WordPress sites.

According to WordPress, A Hundred Years Ago was selected as an example because the posts:

Make something old new again: Part of what makes A Hundred Years Ago so successful is that it archives and digitizes recipes and cookbooks that are likely not online elsewhere. An archival focus can help your blog stand out in this highly digitized space and guide content creation.

Keep a content schedule: Posting on a regular cadence can help keep your audience engaged and keep you accountable. For example, in addition to a weekly recipe every Sunday, Sheryl posts more general musings about food from the early 1900s each Thursday.