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Seasoning Blends
By:
Victoria Rumble ©
 Since
the days of ancient Rome seasonings and
herbs have flavored savory dishes and
confectionary. Basic seasoning blends were
a kitchen staple throughout history and
still save time with measuring when several
spices are needed for a common dish. Proper
seasoning produces food that delights and
lingers in the memory as well as on the
tongue.
Before chili powder,
five-spice, poultry seasoning, and Old Bay
most cooks kept their favorite blends made
up and close at hand.
Some women stored dried
herbs and spices in paper but most
knowledgeable cookery book authors advised
storing them in airtight containers to
preserve their strength. For many this
meant in a bottle with a cork stopper,
however, modern cooks should be aware that
cork still allows air to penetrate and the
mixture will slowly lose its strength.
 A
bottle with cork is fine for short term
storage, but for long term storage a bottle
with screw top or a tin is a better choice,
and historic types are available through
multiple sources.
Spices,
Proper to be Mixed with any kind of
Seasoning:
Take an ounce of
black and an ounce of Jamaica pepper
[allspice], two drop of cloves, and two or
three nutmegs; beat them into a powder, and
mix them all together, and put them in a box
or bottle, so as they catch no air; and then
you have them ready for seasoning any kind
of sauce. – Mrs. MacIver, 1787.
Seasoning
for White Sauces and Fricasees.
White pepper, mace,
nutmeg, and lemon [peel] grate[d] mixed.
– Mrs. Frazer, 1800.
One of the most popular
seasoning blends through the 19th
century was curry powder. Each cook put his
or her particular spin on it, but the basic
combination was similar to that of Dr.
Kitchener in his 1828 The Cook’s Oracle.
The recipe claimed it equal to the best
Indian curry powder, and claimed the fault
of most blends was the use of too much
cayenne which made the blend too hot for
many American palates. Curry powder can
contain as many as 30 spices.
Curry Powder.
Coriander-seed,
three ounces, turmeric, three ounces, Black
Pepper, Mustard [dry], and Ginger, one ounce
of each, Allspice and Lesser Cardamoms, half
an ounce of each, Cumin-Seed, a quarter of
an ounce. Thoroughly pound and mix
together, and keep them in a well-stopped
bottle. Those who are fond of Curry Sauces
may steep three ounces of powder in a quart
of Vinegar or White Wine for ten days, and
will get a liquor impregnated with all the
flavor of the powder.
Curry Powder
#2.
One ounce of ginger,
the same of coriander-seed, half ounce of
cayenne pepper, and two ounces of fine pale
turmeric; these ingredients to be pounded
separately to a fine powder, and then warmed
by the fire and mixed together…OR: One and
a half ounces of mustard-seed scorched and
finely powdered, four ounces of
coriander-seed pounded, four and a half
ounces of turmeric, three ounces of black
pepper, one and a quarter ounce of cayenne
pepper, one ounce of lesser cardamoms, half
ounce of ginger, and one of cumin-seed all
finely powdered. The flavor may be varied
by the addition of all or any of the
following ingredients – cinnamon, in powder,
one ounce, cloves, ditto, half an ounce;
mace, ditto, half an ounce. – The Kentucky
Housewife 1839.
Ragouts were stews that
were more highly seasoned. Basic
ingredients varied widely as did the
seasoning, but, again, Dr. Kitchener’s blend
was typical of the seasonings used, and
saved the cook the trouble of adding each
spice separately.
Savoury
Ragout Powder.
Salt, an ounce,
Mustard, half an ounce, Allspice, a quarter
of an ounce, Black Pepper ground, and
Lemon-peel grated…pounded and sifted fine,
half an ounce each, Ginger and Nutmeg
grated, a quarter of an ounce each, Cayenne
Pepper, two drachms [dram, or 1/16 oz.].
Pound them patiently, and pass them through
a fine hair-sieve; bottle them for use. The
above articles will pound easier and finer
if they are dried first in a Dutch oven.
Soups were intended to
be a harmonious blending of flavors that
flattered each other, but in amounts so that
no one flavor was discernable over the
others. There were several soup seasoning
blends similar to Dr. Kitchener’s.
Soup-herb
Powder.
Dried Parsley,
Winter Savoury, Sweet Marjoram, Lemon-thyme,
of each two ounces; Lemon-peel, cut very
thin, and dried, and Sweet Basil, an ounce
of each. Some add to the above Bay-leaves
and Celery-Seed, a drachm each. Dry them in
a warm, but not too hot Dutch oven; when
quite dried, pound them in a mortar, and
pass them through a double hair-sieve; put
them in a bottle closely stopped, they will
retain their fragrance and flavour for
several months.
Sausage seasonings
weren’t necessarily pre-mixed through the 18th
and 19th centuries, but most
households had a basic blend they used
similar to that of Harriott Hory [18th
century] which was sufficient to season 10
lbs. lean pork mixed with 8 lbs. hard fat,
all finely chopped.
One ounce Pepper, ¼ oz.
Mace, ¼ oz. cloves, ½ oz. Nutmeg, ½ oz. All
spioce and ½ oz. Salt Peter*, dried Sage,
Thyme, and Parsley. *Note: Salt
peter is no longer recommended for
consumption.
Though many old recipes
call for dried parsley it really has no
flavor left to contribute to the dish after
it has been dried. Unless you desire adding
it for historical accuracy or to add a bit
of muted color it will do well to leave it
out, or if putting it into a made-dish it
would be better to substitute fresh chopped
parsley.
Sausage
Spice.
Black pepper 5 lbs.,
cloves and nutmegs, of each 1 ½ lbs.; ginger
2 ½ lbs., aniseed and coriander seeds, of
each ¾ lb., powder and mix.
A basic 19th
century savory spice was made from
cloves, mace, nutmegs, pepper and salt in
equal portions, and a basic sweet spice
was made from cloves, mace, nutmegs,
cinnamon, and sugar in equal parts.
Seasoning blends were
established during the Middle Ages, as
evidenced by the following French blend from
the 1300’s. Fine powder was used with
brayed [powdered] fennel in making sausage,
in stuffing, and could have been used to
season soups and ragouts.
FINE [SPICE]
POWDER.
Take of white ginger an
ounce and a dram, of selected cinnamon a
quarter, of cloves and grain [of Paradise]
each half a quarter of an ounce, and a lump
sugar a quarter and reduce them to powder.
Grain of Paradise is
similar to pepper but with a bit of a bitter
flavor. It can be substituted in place of
black pepper but is much more expensive.
Lemon has always been a
popular seasoning in areas where it could be
obtained, and by those who could afford it,
thus, none of it was wasted as evidenced by
this recipe.
Lemon-peel.
Never throw away the
rind of a lemon. Keep a wide-mouthed bottle
half full of brandy, and put into it (cut in
pieces) all the lemon-rind that you do not
immediately want. As the white part of the
rind is of no use, it will be best to pare
off the yellow very thin, and put that alone
into the brandy, which will thus imbibe a
very fine lemon flavour, and may be used for
many nice purposes. – Miss Leslie,
1851.
Kitchen
Pepper.
Ginger 1 lb., cinnamon,
black pepper, allspice, and nutmegs, of each
8 oz.; cloves 1 oz.; dry salt 6 lbs.; grind
together. Useful in flavoring gravies &c.
– published numerous sources including
Kitchener, and the White House Cookbook,
1887.
Aromatic
Spices for Seasoning Meat Pies, Etc.
Take an ounce each
of mace and nutmeg, two ounces of cloves,
two of pepper corns (whole pepper will do),
marjoram and thyme, each one ounce, bay
leaves half an ounce. Dry the herbs well
first; put the spices and herbs in a paper
closely folded, to keep in the aroma, and
place them in a slow oven to dry for an
hour, or two; then pound and sift them,
through a sieve. Cork tightly. – La
Cuisine Creole, 1885.
Mixed Spice
for Rich Cakes and Plum Puddings.
½ teaspoonful each
of cloves and allspice
1 teaspoonful each
of mace and grated nutmeg
3 teaspoonfuls of
cinnamon. – The Boston Cookbook, 1884
Spice blends for soups
were excellent for outdoors enthusiasts
because one tin of spice was all that was
necessary to pack. Any game, fish, or fowl
that was brought into camp could be spiced
from the blend and put into the soup pot.
Spice Salt
for Soups and Stuffings.
4 ounces of salt, 2
ounces of celery salt, 1 ounce each of white
pepper and ground thyme, 1 ounce each of
marjoram and summer savory, ½ ounce of sage,
1 saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, ½
teaspoonful each of cloves, allspice, and
mace.
Mix, sift, and keep
closely covered. – The Boston Cookbook,
1884.
Mixed Whole
Herbs, for Soups and Braised Meats.
1 bunch each of
whole thyme and marjoram, 1 bunch each of
summer savory and sage, ¼ pound of bay
leaves. Crush and break the leaves,
blossoms, and stalks, and mix thoroughly. –
The Boston Cookbook, 1884.
During earlier eras
most spices were purchased whole and ground
as needed. This is still best in order to
keep the spices at optimum strength. To
make these blends or to use any one single
spice it will be necessary to grind it
before use. There are several ways of
accomplishing this.
A mortar and pestle
have been commonly used for centuries.
These come in a variety of styles and are
made of stone, marble, wood, etc., any of
which can be historically correct. Each has
its advantages and choice comes down to
personal preference.
Spice grinders vary
widely in style and in materials. A coffee
grinder does an excellent job with spices,
and an antique coffee grinder is not
obtrusive in a period setting.
Sources:
American Spice Co.
www.americanspice.com
Deborah’s Pantry.
www.deborahspantry.com
© 2007. Article may
not be reproduced or redistributed without
permission of the author. |
