Vintage food?

[niektete.livejournal.com]

What ho, what ho, what ho! I've got a question for you all.

Does anyone know about any cakes, confections, small dishes etc that were popular/common in the wonderful Jazz Age? I'm hosting a theme party (yes, I was watching J&W when I got the idea), and we need stuff to eat along with the champagne ^^ I'm keeping it all as period-appropriate as possible, so we'll all be wearing costumes and listening to Radio Dismuke and smoking cigarettes in long mouthpieces and what have you. (I might post photos) But I need ideas for the food/cakes, and maybe for decorations, if anyone's got a clue. I don't, sadly :S

Researchers/history geeks, come forth ^^

Comments

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

I did this a couple of years ago, and found this page (http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/themes/1920s.htm) pretty helpful. It covers everything - food, drinks, music, clothes - and includes lots of links to pages with more information.

In the end the food I put together was as follows: prawn vol-au-vents, mushroom vol-au-vents, cucumber and watercress sandwiches, cheese straws, boiled asparagus, celery stuffed with crabmeat, marinated artichoke hearts, cheese canapés, anchovy canapés, devilled eggs, cocktail sausages, crudités with a dip, macaroons, chocolate biscuits and fruit salad.

And you can see pictures of how we got on here (http://pics.livejournal.com/purple_pen/gallery/000161zq?page=1).

[purplefluffycat.livejournal.com]

Sounds great fun! (and by coincidence, I'm also thinking about having a party along those lines). Here are some links that might help:

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/494071.html

http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1920s

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/writings/features/dining4.html

PurpleFluffyCat x

[thirstyrobot.livejournal.com]

I found Easy Entertaining (http://books.google.com/books?id=SfUpAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=easy+entertaining&lr=&as_brr=1&as_pt=ALLTYPES#PPP1,M1) from 1917 on Google books. A little early, but it's got recipes and what all. Also a random volume of American Cookery (http://books.google.com/books?id=PF4BAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=cookery&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1900&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1930&as_brr=1&as_pt=ALLTYPES) from 1921-22, and it looks like there are probably a good many other volumes too. (The table of contents links don't work very well, but typing in the page number does.)

Now I don't necessarily recommend actually cooking something from a vintage recipe because it just assumes you know stuff like what temperature to bake a cake at, but they might be good inspiration and I'm sure you can find modern versions.

[niektete.livejournal.com]

:O I WANT those books! Oooh... Pretty ^^

[notchka88.livejournal.com]

Although I love old cookbooks and cooking (I'm not anywhere near Anatole's superbness), I find them quite trying. The recipe instructions are a little daunting because they're not very precise and the lack of pictures is hard to contend with because I have the attention span of a 2 year old. However, if something you make for your party is really good you should definitely share!

Are the things Wodehouse attributes to Anatole actual meals or just made up? My French isn't too too bad but I always get stuck on a part of the name. If they are actual things or resembling actual things then perhaps they can be googled.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

I was wondering the exact same thing about Anatole's creations given in the books. Hmmm.

[notchka88.livejournal.com]

I did some googling of a couple of things Bertie and Aunt Dahlia come up with for his post-chokey dinner (in Code of the Woosters) and some nice person has a site where a notable chef has taken a stab at making some of those things. I don't think the ingredients are doable, because some of them entail pickled pork tongue or truffles and whatnot.

http://homepage.mac.com/heli1/Personal12.html

Also I've deciphered a few of the meals given in Code of the Wooster. For example Consomme aux Pommes d'Amour is tomato soup and Salade d'endive et de celeri is (I'm guessing) endive and celery salad.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

But 'Tomato Soup' sounds so... so... AVERAGE.
And who knows what seasonings or little additions the great Anatole might have included in his tomato soup!

Endive and celery salad. Hm. Why can't I remember what a bally endive might be?

[kakareen.livejournal.com]

Jeeze-us. Everything sounds better in French, doesn't it?


A bit random, but, you know what the French call pubic lice? 'papillons d' amour'. 'Love butterflies'. They sound quite nice with a name like that, don't they?

[notchka88.livejournal.com]

Love butterflies do sound quite lovely, but pickled pork tongue and sweetbreads are on the ick side of things.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

They call them WHA? AAAAHHHHH! What is it with the French???
*shrieks and runs away*

[kakareen.livejournal.com]

*smirk* Now *that* is a fantastic response.

Yeah, doesn't make me eager to get a French girlfriend, either.

[tetsubinatu.livejournal.com]

It looks a bit like a lettuce and tastes bitter. I bought some recently to feed to my tadpoles, and they thrived on it. Any reasonable supermarket should sell it in the fresh salad ingredients section.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

Ahh... the mists of memory are clearing. I think I recall it now.
Thanks!

[kakareen.livejournal.com]

And I'm remembering something from an interview with Stephen Fry about his movie, Bright Young Things, and how much more creative and enthusiastic the kids were about their parties:

"Oh! I have a fantastic idea! What if all the food was blue?"

Probably not helpful. ^_^;;

But, maybe that is the right angle to be heading at it from. Be enthusiastic, have a 'Yes, let's try it!' attitude, and that will help with authenticity.

[kakareen.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, watching Bright Young Things may be a good thing to go with.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

I need to see it. I've been missing out.

[squirrelbandit.livejournal.com]

nesselrode pudding was popular