Ideas for a 1929 party

[Shalmanese]

This Thursday is exactly 80 years from when the Dow Jones peaked before the Great Depression and I want to throw a retro-ironic party celebrating the completely unfounded optimism of the time.

We're going to be doing cocktails & canapes that a period specific and I was wondering what great suggestions people have.

1929 was in the middle of the prohibition so we're going with a speakeasy theme. I've got gin, absinthe, rye whiskey as well as a pretty well stocked liquor cabinet (vodka, rum, whiskey, maraschino, campari, vermouth, bitters etc.)

Off the top of my head, cocktails would include:

Martini

Manhatten

Sazerac

Aviation

Old Fashioned

Negroni

Is it too early for punches and rum fruit drinks?

In terms of foods, what sorts of stuff was popular? Doing some reading, I know that's when Chinese & Italian food became popular so what sorts of retro-ethnic canapes can I make?

I also know that was when the ceaser salad took off so that will definitely be on the menu.

For dessert, I'm thinking pineapple upside down cake.

Other than that, I'm completely open to suggestions.

[Shalmanese]

Also: What beers & wines would be appropriate for that era?

[isomer]

Shalmanese, you need to hold a Beefsteak!

[David A. Goldfarb]

Shalmanese, you need to hold a Beefsteak!

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An excellent recommendation. The classic account is Joseph Mitchell's 1939 story for The New Yorker, "All You Can Hold for Five Bucks," which can be found in his anthology, Up In the Old Hotel.

Edited September 1, 2009 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[mtigges]

Also: What beers & wines would be appropriate for that era?

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Find a homebrewer who is willing to make a pre-prohibition classic american pilsner for you. Two problems though, first, it takes at least one month, and that's an absolute bare minimum, more like two. Second, it's a very difficult beer to make well.

Unfortunately, I don't think there are any commercial examples anymore.

cap

You cannot make that beer without a mash, regardless of what that link purports. It's a great beer.

[Lisa Shock]

My cookbooks from the period don't even have canape/Hors d'Oeuvres category. -Except the Gun Club Cookbook, 1930. (written by men) It suggests that canapes are larger and softer than Hors d'Oeuvres, and are served on a plate to seated guests who eat them with a knife and fork like an appetizer -a sort of pre-appetizer.

Hors d'Oeuvres are described as being made/served in fancy hotels. They can be: savory spreads on crackers, raw oysters, sausages, smoked fish, various pickles/olives, or caviar and blinis. The savory spreads include chopped ham with butter, anchovy paste, and scrambled eggs. They do suggest serving a wide variety of pickles and olives -plain or mixed in butter.

One of my cookbooks from the 1920's does suggest mixing mayo with curry powder and sugar for an exotic sandwich seasoning, served with standard sliced meats. So, a curry spread might be a possibility.

Two cookbooks have spaghetti recipes, but they are very pedestrian and call for very long cooking times. No other Italian dishes are mentioned. I cannot discern and Chinese influence at all. (my recollection is that the early 1970's was when home cooks started attempting Chinese food in earnest, following the 1940's tiki craze with ersatz Chinese, Japanese & Polynesian creations) My guess is that people went out or got carry-out for exotic Chinese or Italian food.

Remember that at the time, chicken was not being mass-produced. So, it was costly like steak or lobster.

The trendy dessert at the time, although I cannot recall the name, was canned pineapple ring supporting a half-banana (standing up like a slightly bent finger pointing upwards), with a maraschino cherry on top. Yes, it's bizarre and vaguely obscene. It would have been an expensive dish at the time.

[David A. Goldfarb]

You might also browse this collection of historic American cookbooks through 1922, which are out of copyright, so they are available for download--

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbo..._date.html#1919

[Shalmanese]

Two cookbooks have spaghetti recipes, but they are very pedestrian and call for very long cooking times. No other Italian dishes are mentioned. I cannot discern and Chinese influence at all. (my recollection is that the early 1970's was when home cooks started attempting Chinese food in earnest, following the 1940's tiki craze with ersatz Chinese, Japanese & Polynesian creations) My guess is that people went out or got carry-out for exotic Chinese or Italian food.

Remember that at the time, chicken was not being mass-produced. So, it was costly like steak or lobster.

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I'm guessing nobody ever cooked Chinese/Italian food at home, it was strictly a restaurant thing. I'm fine with scaling down main dishes to a canape size.

Right now I'm thinking:

Steamed Wontons

Fried Wontons

Meatballs in marinara sauce

Ceaser salad

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

[Tri2Cook]

The trendy dessert at the time, although I cannot recall the name, was canned pineapple ring supporting a half-banana (standing up like a slightly bent finger pointing upwards), with a maraschino cherry on top. Yes, it's bizarre and vaguely obscene. It would have been an expensive dish at the time.

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A banana poking through a hole hitting a cherry? No f'ing way that's a coincidence. "A more innocent time" my arse.

[Lisa Shock]

-Entertainment options were limited as well...

Green Goddess dressing was also very popular. It was the #1 salad dressing in restaurants from the late 20's through the 50's. (before ranch conquered the world)

Cesar salad was for two and made by a waiter, tableside, with large flourishes, in a garlic rubbed wooden bowl larger than a sink basin. -All on a cart which was wheeled to your table with great fanfare.

[fooey]

I haven't read through the thread yet, so maybe someone's already suggested it, but what immediately came to mind was the NYTimes archive.

It's subscription only for the 1929 era, but its chock full of food news, including tons of recipes.

I once made a 1908 English pudding with candied fruits and rum that was just amazing, recipe pulled directly from the paper, with just minor modifications.

[rooftop1000]

You might also browse this collection of historic American cookbooks through 1922, which are out of copyright, so they are available for download--

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbo..._date.html#1919

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Holy Crap these are gonna be fun

tracey

[Peter the eater]

You're going to need some Cuban cigars.

[djyee100]

The trendy dessert at the time, although I cannot recall the name, was canned pineapple ring supporting a half-banana (standing up like a slightly bent finger pointing upwards), with a maraschino cherry on top. Yes, it's bizarre and vaguely obscene. It would have been an expensive dish at the time.

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A banana poking through a hole hitting a cherry? No f'ing way that's a coincidence. "A more innocent time" my arse.

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It's called Candle Salad. I don't know if it was popular in the 1920s. It was a ladies' lunch thing in the 1950s. (I'll leave it to you to ruminate on the ramifications of that.)

It's still a popular traditional dish during the winter holidays. A few years ago I was taking a seminar on world religions. I brought a picture of Candle Salad to class and enlightened my classmates as to the regenerative theme of phallus (lingam) and yoni during the winter solstice--a crosscultural theme in world myths and religion. My teacher liked my analysis. She also laughed a lot and took home a picture for her husband. I offered to make the salad for the class, but there were no takers.

They have to call it Candle Salad. What else could you politely call it?

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/879948-Candle-Salad

[daisy17]

The LA Public Library has a menu collection that is viewable online.

LA Public Library Menu Collection

The NY Public Library one doesn't appear to be viewable online, so I don't know if this will help.

NY Public Library Menu Collection

Further searching reveals that the University of Washington has one too, which may be more interesting to you: UW Digital Menu Collection

[David A. Goldfarb]

They have to call it Candle Salad. What else could you politely call it?

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/879948-Candle-Salad

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I'm not sure what's scarier, that or the Korean writhing octopus.

[emilyr]

I'm going to be watching this, too. My 29th birthday is in March, and there's a new speakeasy-type bar open in our town (they pulled up ugly carpeting and paneling and found palazzo marble floors and original mirrors!), so my friends and I are planning a "Party Like it's 1929" themed party. Coctails will be the main attraction. The hotel the bar is in will cater, maybe, but we can bring recipes and ideas.