Food in the 19th Century

[Fox Creek Kid]

I don't think this has been posted before, but it is chock full of primary historical accounts regarding prices, availability & preservation. Lots of good info:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpioneer.html

[River City John]

Great resource, FCK!

Thanks for sharing.

RCJ

[Blair]

FCK,

Agreed, A lot of good reading here. It will take me awhile to go through it.
Thanks for posting!
My best,
 Blair

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[Tornado]

"We suggered greatly for the want of salt; but, by burining the outside of our mule steaks, and sprinkling a little gunpowder on them, it did not require a very extensive stretch of the imagination to fancy the presence of both salt and pepper. "

 

[Professor Marvel]

An excellent resource, thanks!

"We suggered greatly for the want of salt; but, by burining the outside of our mule steaks, and sprinkling a little gunpowder on them, it did not require a very extensive stretch of the imagination to fancy the presence of both salt and pepper. "

 

I believe "suggered" is of course a transmorgification of "suffered" ; the mountain men oft' used gunpowder, ashes and gall as condiments when regular supplies were lacking.

I am constantly amazed that the L&C expedition suffered so greatly from hunger whilst being surrounded by food!
Until they reached the NW territories and the Native People took pity on them and fed them Salmon, L&C considered the fish to be only fit for dogfood... :-(

My favorite quote is from one of the Lakhota chiefs who mentioned to a French Fur trader
"there is not one brain amongst them, except for the blacksmith"

I must go dig up my corn meal notes!

yhs
prof marvrl

[Fox Creek Kid]

Lakotas were not exempt either as famed Mountain Man Jim Bridger said that if not for eating some of their ponies during Winter the Sioux would have starved to death. I think we can sometimes have too much of a Hollywood inspired idea of a 'noble savage' instead of the more realistic hunter/gatherer Neolithic culture that it really was.