Cookbook Glossary

A - F

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Anchovy:
A small fish preserved in brine and used to flavor dishes
Bacon:
In the eighteenth century, it was more like Canadian bacon or breakfast ham slices
Bake Kettle:
Utensil for baking a single item on the hearth, with coals above and below; also sometimes called a Dutch oven
Bake oven:
Brick or stone structure for baking large quantities of food items such as bread, cakes, pies, etc.
Billet:
Piece of firewood, about 12 to 18 inches long and 3 to 4 inches thick
Birch-twig whisk:
Bundle of peeled birch tree twigs tied together, used to whip eggs or cream to a froth
Broth:
Liquid made by boiling bones to make a stock for use in another dish
Cabbage lettuce:
Head of lettuce such as Bibb or Boston, rather than leaf lettuce
Coffin:
Pie crust to hold filling; or a standing crust
Colander:
A bowl pierced with holes, used to drain foods
Collop:
Thin slices of boneless meat, cooked quickly
Corn pone:
Cornmeal bread usually flattened and baked or fried on a griddle
Crock:
A cylindrical storage container made of redware or stoneware, usually glazed inside and sometimes outside as well, with or without a lid
Currants:
Imported dried fruits (actually grapes), used in puddings, cakes, etc.
Foodway:
The eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical period
Force, Forc’d, Farced:
To stuff, stuffed
Forecemeat:
Highly seasoned balls made of meat and dates, used to stuff or garnish fancy dishes
Fricassee:
A dish composed of several ingredients in a broth
Fritters:
Small cakes fried in plenty of fat
Frying pan:
Broad shallow pan with a flat bottom, flaring sides, and long attached handle; may or may not have long legs

G - R

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Gerkins, gherkins:
In the 18th century, small spiny cucumbers, generally pickled; today, small pickled cucumbers
Gill or jill:
1/2 cup or 4 liquid ounces
Griddle:
Flat baking surface, either hung or set on a trivet over coals
Hoe Cake:
Flat unleavened cake made with cornmeal, fried or baked on a griddle
Jamaica pepper:
Allspice
Ketchup:
A highly seasoned flavoring liquid, NOT made with tomatoes until the very end of the eighteenth century
Lard:
Fat from a pig or hog, rendered for use
Liquor:
Liquid in cooking; not alcohol
Preserving:
To treat fruit or other foods so as to prevent decay
Quarters:
A place of residence, especially the buildings or barracks used to house enslaved people
Rasps:
To grate
Rations:
Food issued or given to members of a group
Rose water:
Commonly used in the eighteenth century, a liquid flavoring made from distilled rose petals

S - W

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Sallad oil:
Olive oil
Saltpeter:
A chemical substance, also referred to as potassium nitrate, that was used as a meat preservative
S-hook:
An iron hook, from 3 to 12 inches long, bent into shape of S, and used to lift hot pots or kettles by their bails and to lift lids off bake kettles; also used alone or in a series to hang kettles and pots above the fire
Slapjack:
Cornmeal cake, enriched with eggs and milk, fried or backed on a griddle
Small beer:
Beer with low alcoholic content that children often drank
Soup Meager:
Vegetable soup; soup without meat
Spider:
Shallow round-bottomed cooking utensil on long legs, usually made of iron
Spit:
A small iron bar with six hooks attached to it, birds to be roasted were hung by string on the hooks and cooked in front of the hearth fire
Sugar:
Double refined sugar is today’s granulated white sugar
Trencher:
A wooden board or platter on which food is carved or served
Turbinado Sugar:
Less refined, brown sugar crystals (today called Sugar in the Raw)
Trivet:
A metal stand with 3 legs to place cooking utensils
Tracle:
Mild, unsulphured molasses
Vermicelli:
Thin whole wheat pasta noodles, used in soups or puddings
Walm:
A bubble in boiling; a boiling up; can be counted as a second when boiling starts

This project was developed through a Teaching American History Grant partnership between Anne Arundel County Public Schools, the Center for History Education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Historic London Town and Gardens.