Interesting resource book on foods

[MargieB]

I found this book at my public library:

Food in Colonial and Federal America
by Sandra L. Oliver
194.120973 OLI
ISBN:  0-313-32988-5

It contains a lot of useful information about food items and preparation during the period 1567-1825.
The author quotes some of the cookbook sources from the 1800s.  I am finding it fascinating.

I Will be interested to know if you find it helpful and pertinent to our period.

Happy Reading

Margie

[Elaine Kessinger]

It's on GoogleBooks: http://books.google.com/books?id=fvMr83ZmMCIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=food+in+colonial+and+federal+america&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MmPoT9TICeHy0gGftbD8CQ&ved=0CDoQuwUwAA#v=onepage&q=food%20in%20colonial%20and%20federal%20america&f=false

[MargieB]

Elaine,

That is good news!  Now everyone here can easily look at the book to see if it's useful. 

Thank you so much for posting the link! 

I've long puzzled over the term "stoning" fruit.  I learned from the book that "stoning" raisins means soaking the dried raisins and then removing the seeds. (They didn't have seedless grapes in Civil War times.)   
 
Margie

[Jessamyn]

Yes, "stone" is another name for "pit," and gardeners still talk about "stone fruits," meaning those with pits, i.e. peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, and apricots, all of which are closely related. Strictly speaking, you can't stone a raisin, since it has seeds rather than a stone, but for some reason that's a traditional way to describe seeding raisins. But it's just raisins - no one ever talks about stoning grapes, apples, pears, or oranges.