Revolutionary Recipes: A Taste of 18th Century America

Throughout the novel, For Our Cause Was Just, many of the characters spend time eating at taverns, at dinners, or drinking – especially drinking. Let’s cover the drinking part because why not? In the book, John Adams references cider as “that’s a breakfast drink.” And in our timeline, Adams was a staunch enthusiast of drinking cider for breakfast. And cider was by far the most common beverage in Colonial America. We have many references from Adams about his preference for drinking cider. But why cider? Or, more precisely, why any alcoholic drink for breakfast? Because water could not be trusted. Water often could not be trusted as it was contaminated with bacteria, sediments, or other pollutants that lead to illness. While people in Colonial times did not understand the concept of bacteria, they bore witness to the ills that sometimes occurred after drinking water, but not after consuming alcohol – even beverages with only small amounts of alcohol. At one of the breakfasts served by General Howe, he serves small beer. This was a mildly alcoholic drink often served for breakfast as well. Even children would drink small beer because it was safer than water.

What about Adams’s favorite drink in the novel, Madeira wine, which Adams constantly looks for a taste of? This is a fortified wine produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira. This was a common import in colonial times. Even George Washinton had an affinity for it and would often be seen chatting with guests after dinner with a glass in his hand.

Another drink that plays a featured role as Benedict Arnold drinks a bit too much of is Fish House Punch. This was a drink invented in Philadelphia in the early 18th century, it is said, for a gentlemen’s club, commonly called the “fish house”. The punch contained copious amounts of alcohol – rum, cognac, brandy – along with black tea, lemon, and sugar. Extremely potent, it is easy to over-imbibe without realizing the effects until they are upon you.

Throughout the novel, I describe simple breakfast meals. Many of these are unassuming meals of dinner leftovers, day-old bread, or items that would keep, such as hardboiled eggs and jams. One item served at a Philadelphia breakfast was Hasty Pudding. It’s even mentioned in the second stanza of Yankee Doodle:

Father and I went down to camp, Along with Captain Gooding; There we saw the men and boys, As thick as hasty pudding.

This was another common item in the colonies, and most often in North America, made with cornmeal, milk, and either molasses or maple syrup (depending on location) as a sweetener. I should note here that the original British recipe used wheat flour or oatmeal but was adapted to use cornmeal which was more common in North America. Other typical ingredients, depending on what was available, included butter, eggs, raisins or nuts, and various spices. It was baked until transformed into a porridge-like consistency.

Main courses varied depending on social status and wealth. One of the tavern fares described is pork pie. The hardened crust of a pie would protect the ingredients inside. They were also easy to make in advance and heat to be served. Both pork and chicken pies (with bones!) were typical at taverns.

Some side dishes served include roasted root vegetables and a beet salad. I made the roasted root vegetables while I was writing that passage. The platter consisted of carrots, turnips, and red onions seasoned with dried oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary and roasted in the oven. I cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces, tossed them with a small amount of olive oil (more likely in Colonial times they would have used butter or lard), and then seasoned them to taste before roasting them at 400 until cooked through. It was delicious.

One of the appetizers served at the Philadelphia ball was a salad of beets, walnuts, and goat cheese with a vinegar, oil, and herb dressing. You can roast the beets and add these ingredients for a tasty dinner starter.

Now, let’s talk about desserts. One of the desserts served at the ball, among many, was a custard bread pudding. Often, this was a popular way to use stale bread, making it economical and delicious. While I have not tried this myself, my mouth watered while writing about it. It seems simply delicious, sweet, and custardy. I do look forward to making it myself.

Along with this was apple pie. And who among us doesn’t have a favorite apple pie recipe? I’ve included a Colonial Williamsburg recipe below to provide a more authentic colonial recipe. And don’t forget your tea, cognac, or Madeira to go along with it!

How can I find more information and recipes?

Cider: https://colonialbrewer.com/2021/05/02/beer-recipe-john-adams-breakfast-cider

Fish House Punch: https://punchdrink.com/recipes/philadelphia-fish-house-punch/

Hasty Pudding: https://preservationmaryland.org/historic-recipe-hasty-pudding/

Pork pie: https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/recipes/cheshire-pork-pie/

Roasted Root Vegetables: https://www.slenderkitchen.com/recipe/roasted-carrots-and-turnips

Baked Bread Pudding: https://www.mountvernon.org/inn/recipes/article/baked-bread-pudding