the poor poor of yore

these are some “receipts” from the jane austen historic recipes website (“a Spanish Inquisition-free website!”), from two cookbooks of english origin, dated between 1749-1796.

here is one reason why it sucks to be poor. 250 years ago, i guess that this is what people considered to be charity.

To make Broth for the Poor. An ox head 1/2 peck of peas 2 pounds of oatmeal 4 pounds of onions of leaks do.(ditto)loaf toasted 90 pints of water. Well stewed together. 

so while the more fortunate amongst us were eating things like fondeux, pickle pidgeons, friccassee of chicken, tunbridge cakes, and petit poupettes of veal, the poor were stuck with some watery soupy shit made from oatmeal, peas, and the head of an freakin’ OX.

what’s really interesting is that in many of these recipes, techniques are not fully explained; for instance, it was assumed that you already knew how to make a white sauce, or how long your chicken had to boil before it was done. also, sizes and measures seemed to be rather nebulous — loafs, crowns, thumbs. no neat cups, tablespoons, or pounds. ovens, apparently, did not have different temperatures; you just baked something until it was done, and it was assumed that you could figure out for yourself when that was.

here’s another good one.

To Make Mrs. Brown’s Shrub.
Take three quarts of Brandy and one dozen of lemons, pare them and put the paring into Brandy and squeeze in the juice, cover all up in an Earthen pot with a wet bladder ten days, then take two quarts of water boil it half an hour after which put a pound and a quarter of loaf sugar into it and boil it half an hour longer scuming it all the while, when it is cold strain it thro’ a jelly bagg together with the Brandy, allowing some quantity of water for waste in boiling, then bottle it up and keep it for use.

If your lemons be small take more than a dozen.

mrs. brown apparently liked her lemon liqueur.