Forgotten Foods

[zpzjessica]

Can anyone think of some 'forgotten foods'?

Foods that used to be grown/cooked/baked in any culture, either died-off or were banned or lost popularity, and are now making their way back into gardens, kitchens, and restaurants.

[devinf]

First thing that comes to mind is raw milk products. Everything is pasturized now. It is possible to find these foods, but they are most often sold as pet food or fishbait.

The difference in taste is astounding.

[WHT]

Space Stix

Fizzies

Qwisp Cereal

Hoffman Soda

[silentmeow]

Fizzies are making a comeback! Alrighty...

[Milagai]

What about millet?

Milagai

[Carrot Top]

In ancient times, when nomads crossed the deserts on camels (before there were tourists or cameras following them ) they used to carry dried-milk cubes. You know, like. . you milk your camel, then allow the milk to curdle in the sun, then press it somehow into dried little hard things that you could pop in your mouth like just so many Raisinets when you might need sustenance on a long journey. There's a reference in Reay Tannahill's "Food in History".

Lots of good forgotten Ancient Roman foods, too. Probably for good reason.

[jackal10]

Acorn meal, and many food plants

[Carrot Top]

And it has definitely been more than a couple hundred years since I had a delightful dish of roast swan brought to the table, re-decorated in its own feathers.

Though that might have been a good solution to this modern-day occurence that I just read of. . .

[Carrot Top]

Acorn meal,

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Crying shame, too. My acorn hoe-cakes used to go so well with the pemmican I used to pick up at the corner deli, which to my great disgust, they do not carry anymore.

[jackal10]

Care to share the recipe? How did you leach the tannin?

Swan is still served, rarely, today. It is only served by Royal Prerogative, but St John's College has the right and privilege, and serves it at feasts, usually as a galantine, since its tough.

Tastes like tough fishy duck.

[Carrot Top]

Care to share the recipe? How did you leach the tannin?

Swan is still served, rarely, today.  It is only served by Royal Prerogative, but St John's College has the right and privilege, and serves it at feasts, usually as a galantine, since its tough.

Tastes like tough fishy duck.

←

Goodness. I'll have to hunt up that recipe. Those were the olden days, when women were allowed to leach tannin and even sharpen the very atmosphere with their tongues. It's likely that I used that method.

Thank goodness for St. John's, though I detest galantines of any form or flavor after having made too many. Making too many galantines can become like a science-fiction movie at best, a horror movie at worst. All that meat. Brandy. Meat. Brandy. A pistachio or two.

Your fishy duck comment reminded me of "Bombay Duck", though. Haven't heard of that lately, but then of course there's not a lot of ancient colonels sitting before the fire in ratty leather armchairs at the club telling old tales here in Virginia.

[insomniac]

when I was very young I used to stay on a relative's farm and eat cornflakes with a splodge thick yellow cream on top and for years and years and years I have been trying to figure out what that cream was..... we are now living in rural England and I visited a neighbour's milking shed and realised it was the layer of raw cream on the top of fresh milk which had sat for a while...OMG it is the most wonderful cream you will ever eat

[highchef]

creole cream cheese.

Real, made on site hogs head cheese.

you can find both, but not in every store, not even every city like it used to be. I know of only 2 places that make the cream cheese now.

[Carrot Top]

In thinking of this forgotten food, I'm reminded of a saying from my youth, rarely heard anymore: "Make yourself useful!"

[srhcb]

In thinking of this forgotten food, I'm reminded of a saying from my youth, rarely heard anymore: "Make yourself useful!"

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To which my Not-Really-My-Uncle Earl used to append, "as well as ornamental."

SB (would prefer to serve as a decorative centerpiece in this regard)

[ghostrider]

"Ancient grains" -- faro, spelt & quinoa -- seem to have become trendy all of a sudden.

[Davydd]

I haven't had boiled chicken and dumplings in a pot since the 50s. That was generally our Sunday afternoon dinner my mother made and my grandmother made.

[Carrot Top]

In thinking of this forgotten food, I'm reminded of a saying from my youth, rarely heard anymore: "Make yourself useful!"

←

To which my Not-Really-My-Uncle Earl used to append, "as well as ornamental."

SB (would prefer to serve as a decorative centerpiece in this regard)

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You might actually be able to start a nice little side-business, doing just that. People are always looking for interesting table-topper ideas, no?

Do let me know if you need any help.

............................................

Another "forgotten food", one of my favorites: ambergris.

Edited February 5, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[Lindacakes]

Salmon loaf.

My mother used to serve it on Good Friday. I recently got a hankering for it, found a recipe and made it. Damn good. Better the second day.

By the way, raw cheeses are available. Personally prefer a raw sheep to anything else.

[JeffOhlhausen]

Rabbit pie... delicious!

[sparrowgrass]

I haven't had boiled chicken and dumplings in a pot since the 50s. That was generally our Sunday afternoon dinner my mother made and my grandmother made.

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You need to come on down here to Missouri, my friend. The Kozy Korner Cafe (thank god they didn't go with Kafe) serves chicken and dumplings every Wednesday for their special. You get two sides, too, so you can add some corn or slaw or hush puppies or green beans cooked with hamhocks.

And 'bout every week some group of church ladies or another is having a chicken and dumplings supper to raise money to send missionaries off to annoy the heathens.

Chicken and dumplings are not dead. We do make the noodly ones here, not the puffy biscuity ones.

Those might be dead.

Edited February 8, 2007 by sparrowgrass (log)

[annecros]

I haven't had boiled chicken and dumplings in a pot since the 50s. That was generally our Sunday afternoon dinner my mother made and my grandmother made.

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You need to come on down here to Missouri, my friend. The Kozy Korner Cafe (thank god they didn't go with Kafe) serves chicken and dumplings every Wednesday for their special. You get two sides, too, so you can add some corn or slaw or hush puppies or green beans cooked with hamhocks.

And 'bout every week some group of church ladies or another is having a chicken and dumplings supper to raise money to send missionaries off to annoy the heathens.

Chicken and dumplings are not dead. We do make the noodly ones here, not the puffy biscuity ones.

Those might be dead.

←

Nope, not dead at all. We make a sort of in between, a puffy pillow of biscuit dough, rolled and cut. About once every six weeks or so, with a lot of black pepper.

In my conversations with my siblings and friends all over the southeast, not dead at all.

[srhcb]

In thinking of this forgotten food, I'm reminded of a saying from my youth, rarely heard anymore: "Make yourself useful!"

←

To which my Not-Really-My-Uncle Earl used to append, "as well as ornamental."

SB (would prefer to serve as a decorative centerpiece in this regard)

←

You might actually be able to start a nice little side-business, doing just that. People are always looking for interesting table-topper ideas, no?

Do let me know if you need any help.

←

I'm thinking of starting a chain of restaurants called Eat Me

Our slogan: "How May We Serve You Best"

SB (franchises opportunities now available in your area!)

[deltadoc]

Whoops. I listed a bunch of commercial foods. So I edited them out.

doc

Edited February 9, 2007 by deltadoc (log)

[naguere]

Beasting pie.

A wonderful open custard tart made from the colostrum or first milk from a cow after it has given birth.

Last had one about 1962. superb and creamy.