Let’s bake history! In this episode, we feature historical recipes from family culinary manuscripts dating to the mid-19th century. Join us as we try cream cakes, blackberry cordial, pickle lily, and tomato catsup. We share our experiences testing these recipes, explore the history behind them, and discuss how culinary manuscripts can offer insights into the tastes and foodways of specific households in North Carolina. Transcripts of these recipes— along with a few suggestions to simplify or modernize them—and links to the full culinary manuscripts are available on our blog.

• Polk Recipe Book One, 1866. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call number PC.75.

Cream cakes from the Polk Recipe Book Two, 1858. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.75.

To Make Cream Cake

A quart of cream; four eggs sifted flour sufficient

for a thick batter; a small teaspoonful of pearlash,*

a spoonful of salt; beat four eggs very light and stir

them by degrees (a little at a time) into a quart of

cream & gradually enough of sifted flour to make

a thick batter put in the salt; dissolve the pearlash

in as much vinegar as will cover it and stir it

in the mixture. Bake it in muffin rings send them

up hot split them open & butter them. Sour cream

is better than sweet. The pearlash will remove the

acidity & the batter will be improved in lightness.

*Baking soda serves as a modern substitute for pearl ash.

Catsup from the Polk Recipe Book Two, 1858. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.75.

A Recipe for Making Catsup

Take one Gallon of Skinned Tomatoes 4 table

spoonsfull of Salt 2 do* of Black pepper, a

Half do of Allspice 3 pods of Read pepper

3 tablespoonsfull of Mustard ground very fine

& Simmer’d slowly in sharp vinegar for 3

Or 4 hours in a puter basin, & then bottle

it close,  those who like garlick after the

simmering is over and the ingredients cool

you may add 2 tablespoonfuls of the juice.

*Do (or ditto) refers to the unit of measure used with the previous ingredient.

Adaptations: Bell pepper may be substituted for the “read pepper” for a milder flavor. Minced garlic can be substituted for garlic juice.

Pickle lily from the Dodd Recipe Book, 1859. Lillian E. Dodd Collection. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.150.

To Make Pickle Lily

Scald some vinegar and season with

Salt, pepper, cloves, mace and allspice and

When highly seasoned and Cold, pour into

Jar. Drop into this vinegar as they ripen.

Small Cucumbers tender radish pods

Young beans and very small onions.

Cork close.

Adaptation: Use equal parts vinegar and water for a more balanced pickle.

Blackberry cordial from the Polk Recipe Book Two, 1858. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.75.

Blackberry Cordial

Gather your Blackberries & mash them up then

strain them through a sifter & put all the pulp

& seed out. Then to every quart put 1 pound of

Brown sugar stew it well together when dun

take three measures of syrup to 1 of Brandy then

bottle it. Put any kind of spice you like allspice

is generally used

Adaptation: For a clearer, less muddled cordial, simmer the blackberries and your desired spices for roughly 30 minutes to release the juices, then dissolve the sugar into the mixture and strain.