{"id":8937,"date":"2014-11-21T16:52:33","date_gmt":"2014-11-21T16:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=8937"},"modified":"2024-11-21T13:03:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T18:03:32","slug":"old-fashioned-thanksgiving-recipes-in-the-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/old-fashioned-thanksgiving-recipes-in-the-newspaper.html","title":{"rendered":"Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Recipes in the Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Gena\u00a0Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to find some of our ancestors\u2019 Thanksgiving dishes, and shares those old-fashioned recipes. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve purchased some new pots and pans and started shopping for the food for our Thanksgiving meal. Are you ready? The bigger question is: what recipes will you be serving at your Thanksgiving feast? While your dinner recipes may be old hat by now, home cooks have always looked for recipe ideas even for this most traditional meal. Luckily for previous generations, the newspaper helped with the planning by providing plenty of Thanksgiving recipes\u2014and by searching GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, I\u2019ve retrieved some of these old fashioned Thanksgiving recipes to share with you.<\/p>\n

Lettuce Soup and Cranberry Water Ice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This 1922 newspaper article from Olympia, Washington, remarks: \u201cBelow will be found a menu for the Thanksgiving Day dinner, which is published as an aid in arranging the greatest typical American feast of the year.\u201d While some of the recipes are familiar, the recipe for Lettuce Soup might be a new one to you.<\/p>\n

\"Thanksgiving<\/a>
Morning Olympian (Olympia, Washington), 19 November 1922, page 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s face it, for many of us the Thanksgiving meal is pretty standard fare year after year. According to this 1912 article from Trenton, New Jersey, \u201cThe usual dishes present no difficulties to the good cook.\u201d So the article, true to its title, provides \u201cnew\u201d recipes to try on that annual feast day. Do you like cranberries? Tired of the same old cranberry sauce? This article offers a Cranberry Water Ice recipe that involves pouring a teacupful of hot, but not boiling, water over a quart of plump cranberries. Then cook the mixture until soft and reduced. Once cool, add the juice of a \u201cgood sized lemon, a sirup (sic) made of a quart of boiling water and two capfuls of granulated sugar cooked until it thickens. Stir well and freeze to the consistency of water ice.\u201d Other recipes are included in this article that features a rather interesting photo of a child holding a dead upside-down turkey.<\/p>\n

\"Thanksgiving<\/a>
Trenton Evening Times (Trenton, New Jersey), 17 November 1912, page 21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dressing or Stuffing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You say dressing, I say stuffing\u2026 So do you serve dressing or stuffing with your turkey? Most likely your use of the terms \u201cdressing\u201d or \u201cstuffing\u201d depends on where you live. Typically if you live in the South, you refer to that particular popular Thanksgiving side dish as \u201cdressing.\u201d No matter if you say dressing or stuffing, it most likely includes a variety of ingredients such as meats (like sausage or oysters), nuts, breads (cornbread or stale sourdough), and assorted vegetables (celery, onions and even mashed potatoes), spices, and liquid. For some, no Thanksgiving turkey is complete without it being \u201cstuffed,\u201d a practice that is losing popularity with today\u2019s food-safety conscious cooks.<\/p>\n

I must admit, much to most readers\u2019 chagrin, my stuffing typically comes out of a box. This cooking convenience started with a U.S. patent (US 3870803) filed in 1971 by Ruth Siems and others from General Foods, when she invented a convenient way to prepare a quick stuffing based on the size of the bread crumbs. However, for those who opt for the homemade variety, the stuffing recipe is typically a source of pride. Want to try something different this year? In this Oyster Dressing recipe the directions are fairly simple. If you don\u2019t like oysters, try the accompanying Chestnut Dressing.<\/p>\n

\"Thanksgiving<\/a>
Northern Christian Advocate (Syracuse, New York), 14 November 1907, page 14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thanksgiving Memories<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my favorite Thanksgiving articles has to be this one from a 1935 edition of the Times-Picayune<\/em>, a New Orleans newspaper, in which people submit a recipe and an accompanying Thanksgiving memory. A recipe for Baked Rabbit submitted by Mrs. O. Le R. Gofrrth includes a Civil War memory of having to improvise when there was no turkey to be had. \u201cEver since a cold and dreary Thanksgiving Day during the War Between the States, when the turkeys had been given to the Southern forces, and there were no wild ones to be had in Tidewater, Va. \u2026No turkeys or other fowls, but there were rabbits in the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the same article, Mrs. E. M. Williams shares an old recipe for Popcorn Custard and Squash Pie that she introduces by writing: \u201cThis is a delicious dessert for Thanksgiving, because it dates back to the ancient days when one branch of our family lived in Maine. The recipe came from there and has been handed down for several generations, so that it is a real traditional recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Traditional<\/a>
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 23 November 1935, page 22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another reason why I love this historical newspaper article is the grocery store advertisement found on the same page. Picone\u2019s Complete Food Store sells turkeys for 28 cents a pound, 2 dozen oysters for 15 cents and \u201cfreshly killed\u201d rabbits for \u201c20 cents up.\u201d These food prices give us a sense of what Thanksgiving dinner cost a family in 1935. To convert historic prices to today\u2019s values, see the website Measuring Worth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 23 November 1935, page 22<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another article found in the same newspaper 11 years later demonstrates that, depending on where you live and the time period, the idea of a \u201ctraditional\u201d Thanksgiving differs. Consider this Thanksgiving menu shared by Mrs. W. A. Dees from when she was at a \u201ccamp\u201d at La Branch near Lake Pontchartrain that includes uniquely Louisiana cuisine.<\/p>\n

\"Thanksgiving<\/a>
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 23 November 1946, page 17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thanksgiving is about celebrating with family and friends, and whether that is with a turkey or fried frog legs and squirrel pie, the food served helps everyone enjoy the day and the company.<\/p>\n

What Are Your Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your Thanksgiving recipes with us. Whether they are old traditional recipes or new ones you\u2019ve incorporated into your annual dinner, we\u2019d love to hear about them. Join us on Pinterest and pin your recipe to our board, Old Fashioned Family Recipes<\/a>. Simply request an invite to post to our group recipe board. Not on Pinterest? No problem; share your recipes in the comments below.<\/p>\n

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!<\/p>\n

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial<\/a><\/p>\n

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