That pioneer stew recipe taught me a lesson about food history

I tried making a stew from a 1800s pioneer cookbook last week. The recipe called for saltpeter to keep the meat fresh. After a few bites, my stomach felt weird. I found out that modern saltpeter is not the same and can be bad for you. Always look into old cooking ways before trying them.

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

reed.wesley7mo ago

Oof, that's a rough way to learn about food safety! I once tried a medieval mead recipe and ended up with what tasted like fizzy vinegar. My friends still won't let me live it down.

3

young.reese7mo ago

Turns out that's how they made vinegar back then. Your mead might have been more true to the period than you thought.

2

stelladavis7mo ago

Yeah, the vinegar thing is wild. I always thought it was just a failed batch, you know? Like if your brew went bad. But then I read about how they actually used that on purpose for cooking and cleaning. It makes you see those old recipes in a whole new light, like what we call a mistake was just how things were made back then.

6