The quintessentially American holiday, Thanksgiving evokes images of vast dinner spreads, centered on turkey, and as we cook and bake, prepare and labor on these elaborate feasts, who has time to think about breakfast? Well, some cookbook authors in the 1900s didn’t forget breakfast when they shared their Thanksgiving Day menus!
A hearty Thanksgiving breakfast menu of chicken pot pie, a common breakfast dish served at Thanksgiving of the time; baked potatoes; baked sweet apples; and coffee comes from the Landmarks Club of California.
In 1903, to help raise money to preserve California’s Spanish missions, club founder Charles Fletcher Lummis and the members published “The Landmarks Club Cook Book” (Los Angeles,1903). Lummis, the first city editor of the “Los Angeles Times” and head librarian of the city’s public library, had spent time traveling throughout Latin America. Consequently, he was able to contribute authentic Mexican and Peruvian recipes and essays to the cookbook. Along with recipes for tamales, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, and mole; the book features a section of menu plans for picnics, seasonal bills of fare, special luncheons, dinners and suppers.
Boasting of “three thousand helpful suggestions and recipes” and assisted by “one thousand home keepers,” Annie R. Gregory’s “Woman’s Favorite Cook Book” (Chicago, 1902) includes a menu for Thanksgiving Day which presents a substantial Thanksgiving breakfast of grapes, oatmeal, sausage, eggs, potatoes and griddle cakes (e.g. pancakes). In the book, Gregory described herself as a “home caterer, successful housewife, and ideal mother.” When writing her cookbook, she solicited and curated recipes from friends and families from across the U.S. “Woman’s Favorite Cook Book” is really three books in one. The first section includes menu plans; food preparation techniques; and recipes, divided into categories by main ingredient (e.g. fish) or dish type (e.g. soup). The second section is dedicated to vegetarian recipes, while the third features household tips.
In her “Every Day Menu Book” (Philadelphia, 1905), Mrs. Sarah Tyson Rorer recommends a light and nourishing bill of fare for Thanksgiving breakfast, consisting of baked apples and cream, and corn gems (i.e. muffin). Mrs. Rorer, a pivotal figure in the world of cookery and diet in the United States during the early 20th century, greatly influenced eating habits in the U.S. in her time. She published popular cookbooks, founded the Philadelphia Cooking School, and wrote columns for “Table Talk,” “Ladies Home Journal,” “Good Housekeeping” and other magazines of the day. Mrs. Rorer’s menu book does not include recipes, but it does boast 365 days of menus, with additional pages dedicated to seasonal vegetarian menus. She also included a large section of special occasion menus, for events such as Chafing Dish Luncheons and Japanese Teas, as well as menus for company luncheons.
As you finalize your menu for the Thanksgiving holiday, consider what might fuel your day and keep your hunger pangs at bay? What might you serve for a Thanksgiving breakfast?
If you are interested in more Business and Science topics, then subscribe to Inside Adams — it’s free!
Comments
Oysters seem to be a big deal in the past at Thanksgiving. Were they plentiful? Or mainly an east coast thing?
Thanks for sharing this! I never think about breakfasts of the past. I think our breakfasts in my own family tend to be whatever is available that day — could be oatmeal, could be eggs and bacon, could be just PB toast. Nothing really out of the ordinary.