Other Writings

A Brief History of Castoreum, the Beaver Butt Secretion Used As Flavoring
Mental Floss
June 13, 2017
Is your vanilla ice cream flavored with beaver butt? (Short answer: Probably not.) Read more here!

 


Why Early America Was Obsessed With Wooden Nutmegs
Mental Floss
April 24th, 2017
The true history behind false wooden nutmegs. Read more here!

 
marines_pieeating_1480 2Pie Fight: A Brief History of Competitive Eating
Lapham’s Quarterly
Nov. 22nd, 2016
The shocking history of pie-eating contests. Read more here!

 

 

Living williamsburgMy Best 1848 Life
Lapham’s Quarterly
Dec. 28th, 2014

“Every summer I spent more waking hours of my life in the nineteenth century than I did in the modern day.” Read more here!


web-drink-like-pilgrim-1Ever Wonder What it’s Like to Drink Like a Pilgrim?

Liquor.com
Nov. 12, 2014

“When we think of the Puritans landing at Plymouth Rock, we think of them being, well, puritanical—dour, temperate party poopers. Wrong. Drinking alcohol was a substantive part of life in early New England.” Read more here!

Etsy Kitchen Histories

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsHow to Make Gin (and One Tasty Summer Cocktail)

Indulge your fondness for speakeasy-style cocktails with a DIY gin kit (it takes less than a day!) and this refreshing punch recipe.

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Adventures in At-Home Cheesemaking

Food historian Sarah Lohman tries large-scale and at-home cheese production on for size.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Smells Good Enough to Eat: the Perfume Cake

Scent, taste, and memory are inextricably linked, which is one reason this historic cake recipe (the secret ingredient: perfume!) is so intriguing.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Love Spoons

This year, consider a Valentine’s gift that’s nearly as old as Romeo and Juliet (and even more romantic): a hand-carved wooden love spoon.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: The Gingerbread House

Learn the history of this holiday icon — and get tips for constructing your own extra-special version.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Home Brewing

A brief history of homemade beer in America — and where to shop for suds-making supplies on Etsy.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Hot Chocolate

Sarah Lohmann concocts an historically accurate cup of cocoa and looks at the story behind this wintertime favorite.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: The Great Cookie Swap

Holiday cookies are more than sugar and sprinkles – they hold cherished memories. Etsians are exploring creative ways to capture and share the magic.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Easy-as-Pie Apple Peeler

Take a turn learning about a historic timesaver, and discover a recipe for a unique, Thanksgiving-worthy treat.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Trick-or-Treat

Halloween is a night for costumes, jack-o-lanterns, tricks and treats — but when did we start running through the streets demanding candy, anyway?

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Sarah Lohman digs into the sticky history of a classic combo and shares the source for the original PB&J.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Tiki Time

A campy post-war cultural moment is experiencing a popular resurgence as a new generation discovers cocktails like the Mai Tai.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: Fancy Ice Creams

Parmesan-flavored, chicken-shaped ice cream? No, really – it was a thing. Read on for a savory history of frozen treats.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods

Kitchen Histories: The Ice Pick

An attempt to use this simple tool reveals getting the perfect chip off the old block involves quite a bit of skill.

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: The Indestructible Cast Iron Pan

Hardworking and unpretentious, this is one kitchen tool that gets better with age.

 

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: The Velveeta Grilled Cheese

This fascinating slice of history may have you giving processed cheese a second chance at the dinner table.

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: The Bimuelo Pan

Often called an egg pan, an escargot pan, or a poffertjes pan, this useful kitchen tool is used by multiple cultures for making fried dough treats.

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: Maple Sugaring

Historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman traces the charming history of America’s obsession with maple syrup.

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: The Mortar and Pestle

This utilitarian kitchen tool holds the key to unlocking spices’ most wonderful flavors, as Sarah Lohman discovers while making a historical curry.

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsThe Microwave Cookbook

Our historic gastronomist puts this amazing technology to the test — and roasts a whole chicken in the microwave.

 

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: The Measuring Spoon

Fannie Farmer was celebrated and criticized for standardizing American recipes, and her legacy remains powerful today.

 

 

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goodsKitchen Histories: The Virginia Housewife

Mary Randolph’s cookbook helped shape American culinary identity and captured the domestic realities of its time.

Kitchen Histories: The Tom and Jerry

Rich and warming, this historic winter cocktail is a welcome way to cheer winter’s darkest days.

 

 

Kitchen Histories: Bûche de Noël

A charming log-shaped mold triggers an exploration into holiday history and how the traditional Yule log morphed into a frosted treat.

 

Kitchen Histories: The Iconic Thanksgiving Turkey

As you feast with family, Sarah Lohman talks turkey, taking a look at the evolution of an American classic.

 

Kitchen Histories: Cranberry Sauce Serving Set

This faddish object combined old school elegance and modern day convenience to showcase the side dish everyone overlooks: cranberry sauce.

 

Kitchen Histories: Typewritten Recipe Cards

A collection of found recipe cards captures a personal food legacy and challenges preconceived notions of mid century cookery.

 

The Historic Spice Cupboard

Old spice tins hold more than fragrant dust — they tell a tale of changing tastebuds and vanished cooking fads.

 

 

The Magic Whisk

Over time, this humble kitchen tool has evolved in both design and ease-of-use. Sarah Lohman puts vintage models to the test, with surprising results.

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