Seaport Saturdays reveal cooking techniques of Colonial times

If you find yourself catching a whiff of wood smoke in downtown Lewes on a Saturday morning, follow your nose to the intersection of Front and Bank streets. Just past the corner is the entrance gate to the Lewes Maritime Museum garden behind the Cannonball House, known for its role in the bombardment of Lewes during the War of 1812. The charming garden space becomes a hub of activity on Lewes Historical Society’s Seaport Saturdays.

Several historical interpreters dressed in period garb stand ready to answer questions about what they are doing. Some are chopping wood to tend the fire in the freestanding brick hearth, others may be twisting strands of twine into rope on the hand-built rope walk, some may be hemming sails, while the women work on sewing and knitting projects.

Why is a fire burning in the heat of summertime? Because just like the hearth in any 19th-century home, there’s always something cooking. In past weeks, there were stews, fruit crisps, shortbread and Johnny cakes. Each week, the fire had to be started at least an hour before it was needed. The goal is to have the wood burn down into hot coals or embers to produce a steady, long-lasting source of heat.

Once the coals are ready, they can be moved away from the main fire, which will continue to be replenished to create more coals. A cast-iron Dutch oven with legs can be set directly in the coals, while other pots will need to be set on trivets with legs. For the recipe this particular week, our cook, Bill Hicks, had a Dutch oven sitting at the ready as he prepared cornbread.

He worked at a table set with china plates, bone-handled cutlery, and pewter and ironstone mugs. In one bowl, he combined the dry ingredients and in another, he beat the eggs with a birch-straw whisk (see photo). Once he added melted butter and milk, the wet and dry ingredients were combined and poured into a round pan. The pan was placed inside the cast-iron Dutch oven, the lid was replaced and the pot was covered with more coals to create a heated environment not unlike the ovens in our homes today.

As we watched Bill make the batter, his colleagues Greg Burton and Bill Manthorpe offered comments about the happenings in Lewes during April 1813, when the British bombarded the town with hundreds of cannonballs. They pointed to the copy of pages from a tavern-keeper’s journal of the time, noting the names of the men who helped Lewes fight against the British, while still finding time for a pint of grog.

Many of us recall history lessons from our days in school as tediously dry and dull. It’s the lucky student who had a teacher who was able to demonstrate the ways of the past, sharing primary sources to directly illustrate details.

Watching the group of interpreters in their authentic attire and with period-appropriate artifacts brought visitors back to the time almost 200 years ago when this stretch of Front Street bordered the site of a battle.

If you’d like to try a hearth-cooking recipe in your fireplace or modern oven, I’ve included a few here. The first is the one Bill used, from the back of the bag of Indian Head cornmeal, and it works fine with or without the honey. The next one is a simple stewed squash dish, with which I included the language of the original recipe. The last recipe is for rolls, which can be baked in a conventional oven or hearthside in a Dutch oven.

Indian Head Cornbread*

1 C cornmeal
1 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
2 large eggs
1 C milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 C honey (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan or coat with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Sift together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; set aside. Whisk eggs until smooth; stir in milk. Pour in melted butter, whisking to combine. Add vanilla and honey (if using). Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add egg mixture and stir just until combined; batter will be lumpy. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting. *Adapted from Indian Head Cornmeal package.

Stewed Pompions (Pumpkins)*

4 C cooked squash
3 T butter
2 t apple cider vinegar
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
pinch salt

Roughly mash the cooked squash in a saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat over medium. Serve hot. *Adapted from John Josselyn, Two Voyages to New England:
Slice when ripe, and cut them into dice, and so fill a pot with them of two or three Gallons and stew them upon a gentle fire a whole day, and as they sink, they fill again with fresh Pompions not putting any liquor to them; and when it is stew’d enough, it will look like bak’d Apples: this they Dish, putting Butter to it, and a little Vinegar, (with some Spice, as Ginger, &c) which makes it tart like an Apple, and so serve it up to be eaten with Fish or Flesh; it provokes Urine extremely and is very windy.

Rusks (Rolls)*

1 C milk
1/4 C butter
1/4 C sugar
1 T salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 pkg dry yeast
3 1/2 C flour

Combine milk, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat; allow to rest until lukewarm. Stir in beaten eggs and yeast. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth, form into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and allow to double in size. Punch down dough and form into rolls. Place in a greased round cake pan or a Dutch oven. Allow to double in size. Preheat oven to 375 F and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, set Dutch oven in coals, cover and bake until golden. *Adapted from A New System of Domestic Cookery.