Cooking with Potatoes in the 1800s.

Madame de Stael said that she did not believe in ghosts, but that she was afraid of them. Not much more paradoxical is it, I hope, for me to say that, although I do not believe in potatoes, I recognise their great value in the alimentation of humanity. The potato has, I suppose, some nourishing qualities. Cobbett denied that fact altogether, and called the potato “hogs’ food.” Still, it is sufficiently filling as an article of human diet. Its taste, although insipid, is not disagreeable; and it is wholesome when eaten ripe.

And that is how we get ghost and potatoes in the same conversation!

Source: The Thorough Good Cook, 1895.

More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks

• Tomato Stuffed with Rice ~1917
• Strawberry Wine ~1780
• 12 Sandwich Recipes ~1897