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Eat like Jane Austen with recipes from her sister-in-law’s cookbook

40 points by Petiver 5y ago

yawnxyz 5y ago
None of those recipes look very good... is it because our culinary styles and culture have evolved over time (intermingling from different cultures) or because old English recipes were just... not good?
- codingdave 5y ago
  It is difficult to give an answer to such a question that is ultimately about opinion and personal taste.
  - robbedpeter 5y ago
    It's not that subjective, when you consider the relatively profligate abundance we are presented with in modern times. Royalty and the super wealthy from more than 7 decades ago would be astonished at the vast variety and quality of food available to us... it's an excellent meditation on gratitude to make yourself consider how fortunate you are if you have access to a grocery store, let alone higher quality farmers markets, restaurants, and now online delivery. I have to imagine Malthus would have wept in joy if he'd seen how things have turned out. The costs of modern food distribution and market ethics are terrible, as well, but gratitude is a good starting point.
- Causality1 5y ago
  Both, though weighted toward the former. The more multicultural and privileged a society becomes, the more good food rises to the top and replaces bad recipes. For example, all those despicable gelatin salad foods that rose out of the rationing of WW2 and have long since gone from this world.
  - heelix 5y ago
    The time frame makes the funnies/horrors of "Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise" song make sense. Calories, such as they were. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tWuG2oPL3o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tWuG2oPL3o
- aclelland 5y ago
  The Townsend YouTube channel has a large number of episodes in their 18th century cooking series - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4e4wpjna1vwTRvd1XHZBLCHhpUP6Z6uL https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4e4wpjna1vwTRvd1XHZBLCHh.... While it's from an earlier time period, it really shows that people back then still cooked a wide range of dishes that would still be recognized and pretty palatable even today.
  - publicola1990 5y ago
    Though Townsend has some good content, now I think 'Tasting History with Max Miller' is better, his videos are longer and seems to cover a longer historical period and larger geographical scope.
- OJFord 5y ago
  There are only two recipes (trifle, white soup) listed, both of which are perfectly recognisable today? [Edit: I am English though, YMMV!]
- hawski 5y ago
  Weren't ingredients taster in the past?

40 points by Petiver 5y ago

None of those recipes look very good... is it because our culinary styles and culture have evolved over time (intermingling from different cultures) or because old English recipes were just... not good?

codingdave 5y ago
It is difficult to give an answer to such a question that is ultimately about opinion and personal taste.
- robbedpeter 5y ago
  It's not that subjective, when you consider the relatively profligate abundance we are presented with in modern times. Royalty and the super wealthy from more than 7 decades ago would be astonished at the vast variety and quality of food available to us... it's an excellent meditation on gratitude to make yourself consider how fortunate you are if you have access to a grocery store, let alone higher quality farmers markets, restaurants, and now online delivery. I have to imagine Malthus would have wept in joy if he'd seen how things have turned out. The costs of modern food distribution and market ethics are terrible, as well, but gratitude is a good starting point.
Causality1 5y ago
Both, though weighted toward the former. The more multicultural and privileged a society becomes, the more good food rises to the top and replaces bad recipes. For example, all those despicable gelatin salad foods that rose out of the rationing of WW2 and have long since gone from this world.
- heelix 5y ago
  The time frame makes the funnies/horrors of "Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise" song make sense. Calories, such as they were. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tWuG2oPL3o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tWuG2oPL3o
aclelland 5y ago
The Townsend YouTube channel has a large number of episodes in their 18th century cooking series - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4e4wpjna1vwTRvd1XHZBLCHhpUP6Z6uL https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4e4wpjna1vwTRvd1XHZBLCHh.... While it's from an earlier time period, it really shows that people back then still cooked a wide range of dishes that would still be recognized and pretty palatable even today.
- publicola1990 5y ago
  Though Townsend has some good content, now I think 'Tasting History with Max Miller' is better, his videos are longer and seems to cover a longer historical period and larger geographical scope.
OJFord 5y ago
There are only two recipes (trifle, white soup) listed, both of which are perfectly recognisable today? [Edit: I am English though, YMMV!]
hawski 5y ago
Weren't ingredients taster in the past?