Food History

Rich food history:

Food Facts from One Hundred Years Ago

Tuna

I finally finished last week’s tuna.
Wish I’d eaten it soona.
⁽Stuart Terry

In 1907, the first canned tuna fish is packed at San Pedro, California. British merchant Peter Duran made quite an impact on food preservation when he patented the tin can in 1810. The first can opener would not be invented for 48 more years. So how did Mr. Duran open his first can? The tin used for these cans was so thick that they actually had to be hammered opened.

Our 19th century forbearers fed tuna to their chickens because they would not think of eating it themselves. They didn't think much of salmon either. Americans eat a lot of tuna (3.7 pounds per person annually) according to industry figures.

And finally, If you see this sign, ATUM BOM, in a fishmonger’s window in Portugal, don’t be alarmed. It means “good tuna.”

Peas

I eat my peas with honey,
I’ve done it all my life,
They do taste kind of funny,
But it keeps them on the knife.
⁽Anonymous

In 1907, Minnesota Valley Canning Company at Le Seur began packing peas in addition to sweet corn.

Peas have had a long history. The flavor of peas is said to be so delightful that legend has it they were first grown in the Garden of Eden. Pliny, in his Natural History book, recommended touching each wart with a different pea, wrapping the peas in a cloth and then throwing them over your shoulder. One note, however, the only time this is supposed to be effective is the very first day of the new moon.

During the inquisition, it was thought that peas were the standard food of witches. This could be true. Apparently, the bewitching hour is between dawn and dusk. It is said that an acre of peas can increase in weight by 50%, owing to the vegetable's high rate of absorption. Witches knew what they were doing!

Of all the vegetables he tended in his garden, Thomas Jefferson most loved his sweet June peas. Notations in his Garden Book for Spring 1774, noted his first dish of peas (May 16) and his last (July 13). He held an annual pre-patch competition with his neighbors at Monticello to bring the first dish of peas to the dinner table.

Ok, do you see a pattern here? Canned tuna and now peas? What do you think of? Of course, Tuna Noodle Casserole! Was Cream of Mushroom Soup invented in 1907? That would be too coincidental! Actually, tomato was introduced in 1897, while Cream of Mushroom and Chicken Noodle first appeared in 1934.

Below are two versions of the Tuna Noodle Casserole -

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 can (10 3/4-ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles, drained
1 cup cooked green beans, drained (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped, canned pimiento
2 (6-ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly butter a 1 1/2 –quart casserole. Mix soup and milk in casserole. Stir in noodles, peas, pimiento, if using, and tuna. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes; stir.

Mix cheese, crumbs, and butter in a small bowl. Scatter evenly over tuna mixture. Bake 5 minutes more, until lightly browned.

(Source: American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century by Jean Anderson, p. 159)

1907 Ad from the American Poultry Advocate

200 Eggs a Year per Hen

- How to get them

We guarantee – to start hens laying earlier and to induce them to lay more eggs than any other method under the sun.

As a child, Tuna Noodle Casserole was a mainstay in our family. I wanted to find a 1950’s version so I looked in one of my favorite vintage cookbooks - The American Woman’s Cookbook from 1954 (edited by Ruth Berolzheimer). This book is unique and a must-have in your vintage cookbook collection. It is the first cookbook to feature the thumbnail index.

Tuna En Casserole

1 medium onion
4 tablespoons fat
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups tomato juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt
Few grains cayenne
Juice 1 lemon
1 cup flaked cooked tuna
2 cups seasoned mashed potatoes

Chop onion, add to fat and cook until tender. Blend in flour and add tomato juice, sugar, paprika, salt, cayenne and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add tuna and pour into casserole. Cover with potatoes. Bake in modern oven (350°). Serves 6.

Hershey Kisses

When there’s no opportunity for anything erotic,
a handful of Hershey’s kisses is the next best thing.
⁽Peter Gallagher, singer and actor

Hershey milk chocolate Kisses are introduced by Hershey Chocolate Company to compete with Buds, sold by a Litiz, Pennsylvania candy maker since 1893. Each chocolate kiss comes individually wrapped in silver foil and by the time blue-and-white paper streamers are added in 1921, Hershey will be producing millions of Kisses each day.

Hershey Kiss Cookies
2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Additional sugar
5 dozen kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Add butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Make balls out of level tablespoons of dough - add flour if needed. Roll in sugar.
Bake 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and add 1 kiss to the center of each cookie. Return to the oven and bake for 2 more minutes.

Canada Dry Pale Dry Ginger Ale

Imagine that a fierce pestilence strikes the earth and obliterates forever a single crop - ginger.
The consequences would be appalling; not more gingerbread for school kids, no more gingersnaps to dunk into milk and no more ginger ale to sooth upset stomachs. No one
would handle a delicate task “gingerly.” And lively red-haired women would answer to some other spicy name.
- Barbara Hansen, American writer

Canada Dry Pale Dry Ginger Ale is registered in January as a trademark by John J. McLaughlin. He called his product “The Champagne of Ginger Ales.”

PARTY PUNCH

4 quarts ginger ale or lemon lime soda
1 small can frozen lemonade
1 small bag of frozen strawberries
1 quart Hawaiian punch (any flavor)
1 quart. raspberry sherbet

Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl. Add frozen strawberries right before serving.

Also check out

Egg History
Presidential Food

Rhubarb Facts

Vintage Cookbooks: A History

Rolling Pins

1906 Food History

Final Note: Diamond Jim Brady is famous not only for his showgirl companions but also for his gargantuan appetite. His dinners for 50. lasting five hours and costing $100,000, are legendary.

References

Bryan, J., III. 1989. Hodge Podge Two, Atheneum-Macmillan Publishing Co., Canada, 294 pages.

Cunningham, Scott. 1990. The Magic in Food: Legends, Lore, and Spellwork. Llewellyn Publications, MN, 348 pages.

Gordon, Lois and Alan Gordon, 1999, American Chronology, Yale University Press, NY, 998 pages.

Lang, George. 1994. Lang's Compendium of Culinary Nonsense and Trivia. Wings Books, NY, 192 pages.

Staten, Vince. 1993. Can You Trust a Tomato in January? The Hidden Life of Groceries Revealed at Last: And Other Secrets of the Supermarket. A Touchstone Book, published by Simon and Schuster, NY, 239 pages.

Tarle, Denver P. 1981. A Treasury of Trivia. A Hart Book, New York, 320 pages.

Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter, April, 1986.

Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter, April 1993.

University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter. 1992.

Weaver, William Woys. 1983. Sauerkraut Yankees: Pennsylvania-German Foods and Foodways. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA. 218 pages.

My favorite food timeline is located at: http://www.foodtimeline.org/ This website has wonderful food history and trivia. Worth taking a look at this site!

Do you have a favorite food history link? Email me at: Cheryl@croppingcooks.com