I was looking through Susan Williams’s Savory Suppers and Fashionable Feasts, an excellent book about Victorian dining in America, and came across some interesting information she has on the history of dining rooms in America. In the 1600s – the … Continue reading →

Catsup (or ketchup, as it is usually spelled these days) has a fairly definite meaning today: it is a thick, sweet sauce made from tomatoes. Before about the mid 20th century, though, and especially in the 19th century, catsup was … Continue reading →

Back in March, 1901, Good Housekeeping had an article that featured an older, experienced homemaker helping out a young, recently-married woman who was completely adrift at cooking in the home. It’s an interesting article because it highlights the differences between … Continue reading →

The April, 1922, edition of the Wholesale Grocery Review included a reprint of a poem from the Honolulu, Hawaii, Advertiser, written on the occasion of Canned Foods Week. It’s a good list of foods that were commonly canned in the … Continue reading →

The New Yorker recently reviewed the restaurant Betony, in New York City, and praised its milk punch. The drink, as prepared at the restaurant, “tastes like magic: smooth, sweet, and spicy–depending on a changing roster of seasonings, such as bergamot … Continue reading →