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Union Army Camp Cooking: 1861-1865
Contains documented quotations, historical background information, authentic recipes of the period, and commemorative recipes, giving the reader "a taste of" life in the Union Army. Published 1991, revised from the 1990 original edition. 31 recipes, 51 research notes, 37 pages.
"It was at Darnestown that we were first made acquainted with an article of food called 'desiccated' vegetables. For the convenience of handling, it was made into large, round cakes about 2 inches thick. When cooked it tasted like herb tea.-- It became universally known in the army as 'desecrated' vegetables, and the aptness of this term would be appreciated by the dullest comprehension after one mouthful of the abominable compound." -- Charles E. Davis, 13th Massachusetts
This description and many other excerpts from diaries, journals, and letters of Union Army soldiers in the American Civil War are included in Union Army Camp Cooking. In addition to the written accounts of soldiers, Union Army Camp Cooking presents recipes and a text which help the reader to understand what it was like to serve in the Union Army and to eat camp food (and enjoy "care packages" from home).
Among the commemorative recipes are "Trench Beans," "Earthwork Beans," "New England Corn Cakes," and "Clam Chowder."
"It was at Darnestown that we were first made acquainted with an article of food called 'desiccated' vegetables. For the convenience of handling, it was made into large, round cakes about 2 inches thick. When cooked it tasted like herb tea.-- It became universally known in the army as 'desecrated' vegetables, and the aptness of this term would be appreciated by the dullest comprehension after one mouthful of the abominable compound." -- Charles E. Davis, 13th Massachusetts
This description and many other excerpts from diaries, journals, and letters of Union Army soldiers in the American Civil War are included in Union Army Camp Cooking. In addition to the written accounts of soldiers, Union Army Camp Cooking presents recipes and a text which help the reader to understand what it was like to serve in the Union Army and to eat camp food (and enjoy "care packages" from home).
Among the commemorative recipes are "Trench Beans," "Earthwork Beans," "New England Corn Cakes," and "Clam Chowder."
37 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Patricia B. Mitchell
100 books5 followersPatricia Mitchell began foodwriting as a contributor to The Community Standard magazine in the French Quarter of New Orleans in the early 1970's. After she and her husband Henry returned to their hometown of Chatham, Virginia, in 1975, Patricia put her writing on the “back burner” while restoring an old home (the Sims-Mitchell House, which the Mitchells operated as a bed and breakfast for over twenty years) and starting a family (now her collaborators Sarah, David, and Jonathan). In 1986, requests from B&B guests helped motivate Patricia to compile some of her recipes into book form. In a providential turn of events, a visiting museum director asked to purchase some of the little books for resale in his museum's shop. Soon a re-order came, with suggestions for an even greater emphasis on food history.
Through the years, the resulting Inkling Series has included over a hundred titles, selling over three-quarters of a million copies at museums, historic sites, bookstores, and shops in 49 states and internationally.
Poring through diaries, letters, microfilmed records, and mountains of old books, Patricia spends endless enjoyable hours in her search for clues to Americans' eating habits and cooking techniques of years gone by.
Through the years, the resulting Inkling Series has included over a hundred titles, selling over three-quarters of a million copies at museums, historic sites, bookstores, and shops in 49 states and internationally.
Poring through diaries, letters, microfilmed records, and mountains of old books, Patricia spends endless enjoyable hours in her search for clues to Americans' eating habits and cooking techniques of years gone by.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 17, 2017
Intriguing peek into the past
The only problem with this book is its brevity; I think it's only 37 pages long. Otherwise, the first person accounts of daily life and eating make this work pretty much required reading for anyone who wants to understand the soldier's experience in the war. I've actually made my own hardtack a few times over the years (it's become a surprisingly welcome staple at my son's cub scout camping trips), so getting a few more ideas to try can help him earn his cast iron chef badge! Camp cooking 101 would actually be a good subtitle for this book.
The only problem with this book is its brevity; I think it's only 37 pages long. Otherwise, the first person accounts of daily life and eating make this work pretty much required reading for anyone who wants to understand the soldier's experience in the war. I've actually made my own hardtack a few times over the years (it's become a surprisingly welcome staple at my son's cub scout camping trips), so getting a few more ideas to try can help him earn his cast iron chef badge! Camp cooking 101 would actually be a good subtitle for this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review