Colonial Food and Cooking
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     The center of all family activity in a colonial home was the kitchen.  It was the busiest and warmest room in the house.  There was a large fireplace that was used for cooking and for heat. Many of the fireplaces were so big that a person could stand in it.  A woman had to be careful when she was cooking so her long skirt would not catch on fire.

     There were a lot of different tools in a colonial kitchen.  All the tools needed were made of iron so they could stand a fireplace's heat.  The kettles were very heavy.  One tool was a skillet with legs. The skillets had legs so they could be put on the coals to cook.  In some colonial kitchens there were bread ovens.  To place the bread in the oven or take it out of the oven, a long flat shovel was used called a peel.

     Women played an important role in cooking.  The woman of the house began cooking the meals before dawn.  Meals would take hours to prepare. The mother would build a fire, bring in the water, pick vegetables from the garden, milk the cow, gather eggs and hang meat to dry early in the day. A big breakfast was served after the other members of the family had done there morning chores.  The main meal was served at 2:00 in the afternoon.

     Colonial men helped with the meals by trapping and hunting animals and fish.  When the meat was ready for cooking it was boiled, broiled or simmered in stews.  Colonial families owned farm animals to give them milk and eggs and grew fruits, vegetables, and grains.  They also learned how to use herbs, roots and berries that grew in their surroundings.  There were many kinds of herbs such as thyme, sage, marjoram, and dill.  These herbs were good on meats and stews.

     Sweets and desserts were something the colonists loved.  Usually pies, cobblers, and cakes were served at the end of a meal.  If there wasn't enough time to make a pie, Apple Tansey was served.  This sugary dessert was made from apples covered with a sauce made of beaten eggs, cream, nutmeg, and sugar.  The colonists also went wild over ice cream, a favorite dessert.

     Colonists found a way to make a kind of syrup from the sap of a maple tree.  It was used to sweeten food especially popcorn.  Tea was also made from roots and leaves.   Dandelions were used to make a coffee- like drink.  There was milk to drink, but colonial people thought water would make them sick so they did not drink it.  Cider was made from peaches or apples.  The colonists also drank beer, even for breakfast.

     Before the cold days of winter arrived, everybody worked very hard.  It was very important that food be prepared to last for the winter months and that nobody would be hungry.  Apples, peaches, and pumpkins were peeled, sliced and hung to dry. Meat and fish was smoked, salted or pickled.

      Women preparing a meal.

Peel used to take bread out of an oven.

         Woman cutting fish

Created by Ariana and Rachel

Solomon Schechter Day School

June  2006