Old-Timey Desserts

 

by Pa Rock

Pie Guy and Cake Aficionado

I was perusing a website yesterday that specializes publishing historical tidbits and trivia when I came across an article recounting some once popular American desserts which are seldom enjoyed today.  Being a history major in college as well as old - and hungry - I decided to have a quick read and see if I would be inspired to the point of premature salivation.

Seven desserts from the past were highlighted in the article, three of which were new to me, and four of which I was familiar.  (When it comes to desserts, to tend to lean toward being overly familiar!). The ones that I had never experienced were "Jumbles," sometimes called "Jumballs" which are a type of butter cookie formed into a knot before baking (a Middle Eastern treat that vaguely resembles pretzels), "Carrot Pudding," (I'm a big fan of "Carrot Cake"),  and an intriguing dessert called "Tomato Soup Cake," the recipe for which was the first dessert recipe ever printed on a tomato soup can.

It was, however, the other four, the ones with which  I was familiar, that really pulled my age chain and made me feel old.    One was "Fruitcake".   Really!   Who among us hasn't nibbled  at a rum-soaked fruitcake for several weeks into the New Year?  I order one for myself every holiday season from a local monastery, and usually a few for friends as well.  I used to send my kids one, but they all told me PLEASE not to!

And there were three pies on the list that have also already made my acquaintance.   One was "Mincemeat" which is still a holiday staple in many homes.  There is a restaurant here in West Plains where patrons can order pies for the hoidays, and mincemeat is on their short list.  I used to order "Peanut Butter Pie" there until my son developed an interest im making those himself - and Nick's peanut butter pies are delicious!

Another former old standard pie to appear in yesterday's article was "Shoofly Pie."   I can remember my mother making the molasses-based pie once when I was younger just to show my sister and I was it was.  It reminded me of the filling of a modern pecan pie without the pecans.  I can remember that I liked it, but it may have been hard to make because I think she only did it the one time.  When it came to pies, and my mom was a great pie chef.   Her two standards were "coconut cream," my dad's favorite, and "lemon meringue," which was at the top of my request list.

(My mother also made the most wonderful "spice cake," and oh how I would love to taste it again - just one more time!)

The remaining dessert in the article was "Vinegar Pie," and I saved it for last because there is a story attached to my familiarity with it.  When I was principal of a large, rural junior high and high school complex in the 1980's, our high school home economics teacher taught a pie-baking unit to her students every year, and she always capped that training by inviting faculty members and the principal to her classroom to sample the pies.  Every guest got two or three slices of different varieties.  The teacher had asked me what my favorite was and I told her "lemon," and of the selections which the students placed on my plate, one was lemon, or at least I thought it was, and it was delicious.  It wasn't until after the pies were consumed and the tables cleared that tne instructor, Mrs. Darlene Godsey, told me that my "lemon" pie had ben an old depression era standard called "vinegar" pie, and it was made from apple cider vinegar instead of lemons.  It was wonderful, and I absolutely could not tell the difference!

At least one of the many pounds that I carry around today is the direct result of the pies that Mrs. Godsey's students made!  My mother's spice cake probably accounts for two or three more of the pounds hanging over my belt.

This is old and well worn, but it's true, and it's important:  LIFE IS SHORT,  START WITH DESSERT!