How to Roast a Pig
“Housekeeping in Old Virginia” was written by Marion Cabell Tyree, the granddaughter of Patrick Henry, and published in 1879. It contains a collection of 1700 favorite Virginian recipes from 250 famous Virginian families.
On the title page, it tells us these are “Contributions from 250 of Virginia’s noted housewives, distinguished for their skill in the culinary art and other branches of domestic economy”.
At the bottom of that page it reads “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies…She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness”. Prov. xxxi, 10,27
It’s a good thing, then, that I have a copy of this, because God knows I strive to be virtuous and not an idle woman. Although it’s tough to even begin to think how a woman back then could have been idle, as cooking and life in general, took up so much darn time.
Apparently the book was very popular at the time and many distinguished women (even the wife of the President) encouraged its use, citing it as invaluable for the housewife. What’s next is perhaps one of my favorite recipes so far.
Roast Pig
“When roasted whole, a pig should not be under four nor over six weeks old. In town, the butcher prepares for roasting, but it is well to know, in the country, how this may be done. As soon as the pig is killed, throw it into a tub of cold water, to make it tender; as soon as cold, take it by the hind leg, and plunge into scalding , not boiling, water (as the last cooks the skin so that the hair can with difficulty be removed), shake it about until the hair can be removed by the handful. When all that is possible has been taken off in this way, rub from the tail up to the end of the nose with a coarse cloth. Take off the hoofs, scrape and wash the ears and nose until perfectly clean. The nicest way to dress it is to hang it by the hind legs, open and take out the entrails; wash well with water, with a little soda dissolved in it; rinse again and again, and leave hanging an hour. Wrap in a coarse cloth wrung out of cold water and lay on ice or in a cool cellar until next morning, when, if the weather is wam, it must be cooked. It should never be used the same say that it is killed.
First, prepare the stuffing of the liver, heart and haslets of the pig, stewed, seasoned, and chopped. Mix with these an equal quantity of boiled potatoes mashed; add a large spoonful of butter, with some hard-boiled eggs, parsley and thyme, chopped fine, pepper and salt. Scald the pig on the inside, dry it and rub with pepper and salt, fill and sew up. Bend the fore legs under the body, the hind legs forward, under the pig, and skewer to keep in position. Place in a large baking-pan, pour over one quart of boiling water. Have a lump of fresh butter tied up in a clear rag; rub it all over the pig, then sprinkle on pepper and salt putting some in the pan with a bunch of herbs, invert over it a baking-pan while it simmers, and steam until entirely done. Underdone pork, shoat, or pig, is both unpalatable and unwholesome. Remove the pan, rub over with the butter and baste often. When of a fine brown, cover the edges of a large dish with a deep fringe of curled parsley; first sift over the pig powdered cracker, then place it, kneeling, in the green bed. Place in its mouth an orange or a red apple; and, if eaten hot, serve with the gravy in a tureen or sauce-boat. It is much nicer cold; served with little mounds of grated horseradish amongst the parsley.
Recipe courtesy of Mrs. S.T.”
Well, now. Can you even imagine killing the thing yourself, gutting it, removing its hair, wiping its nose and washing its ears??? I think none of us today have anything at all to complain about, when it comes to meal prep! The worst thing most of us have to do is rinse out the Thanksgiving turkey and handle the giblets (unless we just toss that little bag into the trash). It is a good reminder that cooking was nearly a full time job back then.
It’s interesting reading, what early Americans ate. There are things I’ve never even heard of, like terrapins and cymlings. And not every recipe could even be made in today’s modern world, as our supermarkets are not likely to carry partridges, pheasants, wild turkeys or pigeons. Nor will we find hops, saltpeter, turtles or robins.
Then there are the measurements: “Lard, the size of a hen’s egg” or “one teacup of milk”, or “two gills of yeast”. And the temperature and timing are sometimes missing, asking you to just bake something until the custard is set. But for how long, we’ll never know. The reason for this is that they were cooking over an open fire. There was no temperature gauge!
Reading “Housekeeping in Old Virginia” is like taking a step back in time. The recipes and descriptions of how foods should be prepared provide a glimpse into what life was like in Old Virginia. It gives one a sense of what was involved in feeding others. You often cooked in large quantities, likely because you either had a large family, were entertaining, or were cooking for those you employed. You had to plan well enough ahead as often a dish might take a day to prepare. Ingredients had to be soaked or marinated, yeast had to be made from scratch and breads given time to rise. You had to kill and clean all manner of animals in preparation for cooking and that took time and effort. Feeding others was not for the faint of heart or for the idle woman, as she was easily busy from morning till evening with all her tasks! If you’re ever interested in seeing what life was like in Virginia in 1879, you can probably find a copy of this treasure on ebay.
