"Party suppers had no such limitations—often the table was
gay with autumn leaves, the center piece a riot of small ragged red
chrysanthemums, or raggeder pink or yellow ones, with candles glaring from
gorgeous pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns down the middle, or from the walls either
side. There were frosted cakes—loaves trimmed gaily with red and white candies,
or maybe the frosting itself was tinted. In place of syllabub or boiled
custard, there were bowls of ambrosia—oranges in sections, freed of skin and
seed, and smothered in grated fresh cocoanut and sugar. Often the bowl-tops
were ornamented with leaves cut deftly from the skin of deep red apples, and
alternating, other leaves shaped from orange peel. Christmas party suppers had
touches of holly and cedar, but there was no attempt to match the elaborate
wedding tables. Hog's foot jelly, red with the reddest wine, came in handily for
them—since almost every plantation had a special small hog-killing, after the
middle of December, so there might be fresh backbones, spare ribs, sausage and
souse to help make Christmas cheer. Ham, spiced and sliced wafer thin, was
staple for such suppers—chicken and turkey appeared oftenest as salad, hot
coffee, hot breads in variety, crisp celery, and plenteous pickle, came before
the sweets. Punch, not very heady, hardly more than a fortified pink lemonade,
came with the sweets many times. Grandfather's punch was held sacred to very
late suppers, hot and hearty, set for gentlemen who had played whist or euchre
until cock-crow."
Dishes and Beverages of the Old South, by Martha McCulloch-Williams, 1913. Download at Project Gutenberg.
Whiskey, apple jack and spices...YUM
ReplyDeleteIs mellow whisky bourbon?
ReplyDeleteThis is a guess, Bunny, but I'm wondering if by mellow whisky she meant commercially distilled whisky, as opposed to "white lightnin'."
ReplyDelete