19th Century Philadelphian Festive Menu...Need Help!
Hello, I am helping to create a menu for a museum ball. The museum is 150 years old and I would like to recreate some mid-19th century recipes.I am looking for small plates and appetizers and things we can pass around. We won't be having a sit down dinner this year. I know this forum is mainly for restaurants but I would like to ask all my Philly and PA Chower history buffs for assistance...Any help will be most appreciated! Thanks!
By spicemistress
on Nov 24, 2009 08:18 AM
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The city Tavern is 18th century - perhaps their menu will help? http://www.citytavern.com/dinner_menu...
Also, chef Staib has several cookbooks
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Here are a couple columns from the esteemed Rich Nichols that may help:
http://www.philly.com/philly/restaurants/43444067.html
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/food/2...
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Check out William Woys Weaver's cookbooks. He is a PA food historian.
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This is a bit of a roundabout approach, but you could browse databases of 19th century menus to get ideas, and then search for recipes online. The two best online menu collections I know of are from the New York Public Library and the Cornell Library (among them are at least a few menus from Philadelphia restaurants), and the original 1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook is one online source for authentic 19th-century recipes.
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/grd/resguides/menus/
http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/library/collections/menus/
http://www.bartleby.com/87/
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