What were (are) "comfort foods?" There is no single definition or list. Dr. Isaac Rubin defined them by caloric content. Food psychologists tell us "comfort foods" are
personal. They are often associated with items our loved ones prepared for us when we were children. So?
For some people this food is sweet (chocolate, ice cream, pudding, bowlful of M&Ms or candy corn), for
others it's savory (butter noodles, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, biscuits & gravy, chicken soup).
Many American comfort foods have at least three things in common. They are:
1. Smooth & creamy (easy to chew & digest)
2. Carb intensive (give us energy)
3. Fondly remembered from childhood (good food memories)
[1965]
"'I call myself a problem eater. When all goes well I get along fine, but with any problem I eat and eat and eat!...let's analyze the situation. When trouble crops
up, you turn to food for comfort. Food gives you immediate satisfaction. What you are really saying is that you get so discouraged and depressed, that you think, 'Oh
what's the use!'...The you start eating. Since eating until you are surfeited does nothing to help the situation, you feel even more depressed...Your will power is
influenced by, in fact, takes direction from the mental picture you hold in your mind."
---"Keep in Trim: Her Problems Add Up to Too Many Pounds," Ida Jean Kain, Washington Post, October 25, 1965 (p. B9)
"It was "baker's bread" what the quality eat none of your low-down corn-pone."
"We shot a water-fowl, now and then..."
Not mentioned: beans, turkey, cookies, tea, corn on the cob
Charles Dickens
Reading Charles Dickens and need to bring something (period, tasty, doable) to class? We recommend The Charles Dickens Cookbook/Brenda Marshall.
This book offers literary excerpts featuring food (all books) with doable
modernized recipes. Your local public librarian can help you get a copy or we can scan/send some easy recipes based on course (dessert?) or book (Oliver
Twist?). Please note: there are several excellent English Victorian-era cookbooks offering modernized recipes. These work well for generic period food.
If you want to recreate something young Charles might have enjoyed as a boy, biographies are your best bet. In most cases, a person's favorite food is something they have loved since they were
kids.
The three best sources for period recipes, menus and dietary concenrs are:
1. Soyer's Cookery Book/Alexis Soyer [1840s-1850s]
...Chef of London's Reform Club devoted much time creating recipes for soldiers [Crimean War] and working class/poor
people. Soyer's are most likely the recipes consumed by many of Dickens' charity characters [think: Oliver Twist]. Several recent reprints
exist. We recommend the edition introduced by James A. Beard, David McKay:New York] 1959
2. Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Isabella Beeton [1861]
...Matron of middle class UK cookery, Beeton is unparalleled in her kitchen notes, food costs, and everyday recipes.
We recommend the Oxford World's Classics (paperback) edition because the notes explain historic context. The original version is available
online, free & full-text.
3. The Workhouse Cookbook, Peter Higginbotham [2008]
...Decribes in detail the kinds of foods served to the poorest classes. Think: Oliver Twist. Photos, diets, nutritional
analysis, selected recipes and a full reprint of the Manual of Workhouse Cookery [1901]. Sample chapter:
"The 1835 Workhouse Dietary,".
The Dickens Dinner, City Hotel (NYC) February 18, 1842
"In 1841-42, Charles Dickens toured America giving readings from his works. He was then twenty-nine years old, and already famous as the author of Pickwick
Papers, Barnaby Rudge, Nicholas Nickelby, Oliver Twist and The Old Curiosity Shop, all of which had appeared within five years. Everywhere on the tour he was
lionized by American admirers...and all but smothered under social attentions...a committee of prominent New Yorkers tendered him a banquet. The date was
February 18, 1842, the place was the City Hotel, and Washington Irving presided...The occasion demanded the best on the part of the caterer, and what was
served exactly reflected the ruling taste of the time. in fact, the 'Dickens dinner' was spoken of for years afterwards as a model of gastronomy. Selection of the City
Hotel for the festivity was almost automatic, for it enjoyed semi-official status as the most suitable setting in New York for civic celebrations...The dining room...
was spacious, airy, and well lighted, and was much used for balls and concerts...Lafayette was entertained there in 1824...its wine cellars were noted, its cuisine
was considered unexcelled, and its eminent propriety in every respect was unquestioned. The Dickens dinner in 1842,...was the finest that civic pride could provide,
and the bill of fare reflected the best taste of cultivated New Yorkers...Journalist style in 1842 tended to be as effluent as the diet of the day was diffuse, and the
New York newspapers reporting the grand doings at the City Hotel on February 18 conformed to the conventions and language of the time; in accordance with the
custom devoting only a few lines...to the dinner, although printing the text of the after-dinner speeches in three and four columns of fine type. All accounts agreed,
however succinctly, that the banquet was 'in a style not surpassed by any ever partaken in this city'..."
---Delmonico's: A Century of Splendor, Lately Thomas [Houghton Mifflin Company:Boston] 1967 (p. 105-106)
[NOTE: This banquet cost $2,500.]
Dickens Dinner, Delmonico's (NYC) April 18, 1868
"Twenty six years after he had feasted at the City Hotel, Charles Dickens returned to America on a second reading tour. The time was 1868...At the close of his
tour, he made one exception to the rule of no entertainments. This was in favor of the New York Press Club, which was eager to do honor to one member of the
craft who had gone on to fame and fortune. So on April 18, 1868, Dickens was the guest of the press of New York at a gala banquet. The place chosen was the
only place by that date deemed proper for such and occasion--Delmonico's at Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street. Lorenzo Delmonico regarded that dinner with
particular pride. Although it was neither the largest, nor the costliest, nor the most striking its composition, it game him special satisfaction...The banquet cost about
$3,000, and the tickets sold for $15 apiece. Horace Greeley presided...The dining room exuded luxury. Deep-pile carpet muted the footfall of the waiters, damask
draperies framed the windows, the gas light in the chandeliers were softly shaded, the tables flashed with crystal and silver on snowy linen and were bright with
flowers...The New York World's reporter [stated] 'Confections were converted into---tempting pictures of the most familiar characters of the great novelist. Sugar
was not ashamed to imitate him, and even ice cream had frozen into solid obeisance...Tiny Tim was discovered in pate de foie gras...Not only did [Delmonico]
make it a Dickens dinner, he made it dinner of Dickens.'...the proof of the banquet lies in its elements and in their interrelation; and this gastronomical-literary
celebration of 1868 furnishes material for a direct comparison with the banquet tastes of cultivated New York in 1842."
---Delmonico's: A Century of Splendor, Lately Thomas [Houghton Mifflin Company:Boston] 1967 (p. 112-115)
The famous "whipped cheese in a jar" most people think of is Kraft's Cheez Whiz. This product could not possibly be the one referenced in "Death of a Salesman" because it was introduced in 1952, three years after the play debuted. HOWEVER, Cheese Whiz was not the first Kraft cheese product sold in jars, or "Swankyswig" glasses.
In the 1930s, Kraft [most famous for Velveeta, 1928] introduced a line of flavored cheeses marketed in glass jars. In the 1940s Kraft products were heavily marketed to main-stream American consumers via radio, television [Kraft Television Theatre begain airing in 1947], women's magazines, and company cookbooks. Linda certainly would have heard of Kraft's products. The "cheese in a jar" spreads were marketed as economical ways to prepare "fancy meals" which is probably why she wanted the product. The product she is trying to get Willy to try was most likely a Kraft concoction.
From Favorite Recipes from Marye Dahnke's File, Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corporation [1938]:
Pimento Cream SpreadWhat were "Swankyswig" glasses?
--Kraft Pimiento Cream Spread is the famous "Philadelphia" Cream Cheese with finely chopped flavorfoul pimientos. Also with olives: Kraft Olive Pimento Cream Spread. Both in Swankyswig Glasses.
Roquefort Cream Spread
--Delicately flavored "Philadelphia" Cream Cheese and zesty Roquefort are blended toghether smoothly to give you Kraft Roquefort Cream Spread. Perfect for appetizers and sandwiches.
Kay Spread
--Tangy, sweet pickle and pimiento relish skillfully blended with "Philadelphia" Cream Cheese. A wonderful and delicious "all purpose" cheese spread.
Pineapple Cream Spread
--Lucous bits of Hawaiian pineapple with the famous "Philadelphia" Cream Cheese. A favorite with children. Grand for salads and all kinds of sandwiches. In Swankyswig Glasses.
Teez
--The latest hit for appetizers...Kraft's Teez! A surprise combination of "Philadelphia" Cream Cheese, Roquefort Cheese, spices, selected meats. In Swankyswig Glasses.
Limburger
--Kraft Limburger in Swankysiwg Glasses for picnics! Rich, full flavor. Soft, spreading texture. A popular favorite with the men folks.
"Old English" Spread
--Deliciously sharp, tangy, spreadable. Wonderful for appetizers as well as sandwiches. in Swankyswig glasses.
Need to find pictures of a specific food?
If you need a couple of pictures to illustrate your report/lesson plan? We recommend
Google Images. NOTE: all photos on the Internet are the propert (copyright)
of the artist and/or site owner. It is good form to request permission before using.
Cooking utensils, appliances & dinnerware
Antiques catalogs (300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles/Linda Campbell Franklin, Kovel's,
Lyle's, old Sears catalogs) and EBay are good for these. If
you need something specific? There are books specializing in product collectibles (Coca Cola),
company items (Wedgewood), and period.
History of U.S. dietary recommendations (resource material)
Wilbur Olin Atwater, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, published our country's first food compostion tables in 1894. The first
daily food guides published by the U.S.D.A. appeared in 1916. The initial recommendations
consisted of five groupings: meat & milk, vegetables & fruits, cereals, fats & fat foods, and sugars
& sugary foods. In the 19th century USA folks had a pretty good idea of what they
considered a "square meal." US dietary recommendations sometimes adopted shape
illustrations (think: Food Pyramid) to make basic nutrition concepts easy to understand.
The original U.S.D.A. recommendations have been overhauled five times: "12 Groups" [1933], "Basic Seven" [1942], "Basic Four" [1956] the "Food Guide Pyramid" [1992] and "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" [2005]. New groupings and interim adjustments reflect advances in nutrition science.
Historic dietary recommendations
Does this information effect USA eating habits? Cornell's Food & Brand Lab has the answers.
chocolate
vanilla (Mexico)
maize (corn)
squash
wild rice
sweet potatoes
winter squash
blueberries
cranberries
grapes
black walnuts
pecans
chestnuts
potatoes
sweet potatoes
tomatoes
haricot beans (lima, kidney, navy &c.)
cassava (tapioca)
pumpkins
chayote
groundnut (aka peanut)
turkey
cassava, manioc & cassareep
pineapples
avocados
papayas (paw-paws)
capsicium (chili peppers)
American bison
Jerusalem artichokes
pine nuts
allspice
sassafras
hickory nuts
allspice
maple sugar
SOURCES: Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxford University Press:New York]
2004, Volume 2 (p. 146-7)& The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson, 2nd edition edited by Tom Jaine [Oxford
University Press:Oxford] 2006 (map page 1)
Additional information
Breakfast cereal inventory
How many breakfast cereals are there in USA supermarkets today? Great question! Let's start by defining "how many:" (1) different brands (2) number of boxes in an
average supermarket on a given day...which could be multiplied by #supermarkets in the US for approximate total number.
The US Patent & Trademarl databases lets you access all trademarks 1976--present. Advanced search features let you filter only "live" trademarks. All trademarks are classified by topic. Goods & services field ("ready to eat breakfast cereal") works best for this project.
Select Trademarks
Select a search option: Basic work mark search (TESS)
Click "live" (because you only want only currently registered tradmarks)
Search term: "ready to eat breakfast cereal"
The result? 1098 different "live" breakfast cereal brands in 2013.
[NOTE: Live trademark does not mean a product with that name is currently in production. Sometimes a company will file (or purchase) for
trademark/tradename protection in hopes of future use. Think: Hostess Twinkies.]
Breakfast cereal invetory/Foodtown Cedar Knolls, NJ, April 13, 2013
This list reflects the mainstream breakfast cereal aisle; does not include niche aisles (organic, ethnic). Data can be useful from several angles: local demographics,
consumer preference, brands with the longest staying power, packaging (bags, boxes, cardboard canisters, personal packs, microwave bowls), & economics
(price/ounce). Number in parentheses indicates different flavors of same product.
# Food Companies=26
# Brands=106
# Brands & flavor variations=256 (eg, 5 different kinds of Cheerios)
ALPEN
All Natural Muesli (2)
B & G FOODS NORTH AMERICA
Cream of Rice
Cream of Wheat (4)
BARBARA PUFFINS NATURAL
Granola (6)
BEAR NAKED
Granola (14)
BOB'S RED MILL
Flaxseed (3)
Wheat Bran
Wheat Germ
CASCADE FARMS
America's Favorite Granola (5)
ENVIROKIDZ ORGANIC
Amazon
Koala Krisp
FARINA MILLS
Farina
FOODTOWN (store brand)
Bran Flakes
Crispy Hexagons
Fruit Rings
Healthy Mornings
Honey & Nut Tasteeos
Koo-Cies
Magic Stars
Puffed Rice
Puffed Wheat
GENERAL MILLS
Cheerios (5)
Cheerios Multigrain (5)
Cinnamon Toast Crunch (2)
Cookie Crisp
Corn Chex
Fiber One (6)
Golden Grahams
Kix
Lucky Charms
Oatmeal Crisp
Reese's Puffs
Rice Chex
Wheat Chex (3)
Wheaties
Total (3)
Trix
HEARTLAND
Granola (6)
HODGSON MILL
oats (2)
HOMESTAT FARM
Maypo
Wheatena
KASHI
Go Lean (2)
Golden instant hot cereal (2)
Heart to Heart (6)
Seven Whole Grain (10)
KELLOGG'S
All Bran (3)
Apple Jacks
Cocoa Crisps
Cocoa Puffs
Corn Flakes
Corn Pops
Crispix
Fiber Plus (2)
Froot Loops
Frosted Flakes
Mini Wheats (10)
Mueslix
Raisin Bran (3)
Scooby-Doo
Smart Start
Special K (8)
Crunchy Nut (3)
Variety Pack (10 individual personal boxes)
KIND HEALTHY GRAINS
Granola (3)
MALT O MEAL
Apple Zings
Berry Colossal Crunch
Better Oats Organic (10)
Cinnamon Toasters
Coco Roos
Dyno-Bites (2)
Frosted Flakes
Golden Puffs
Honey Nut Scooters
Marshmallow Mateys
Minispooners (2)
Tootie Fruities
MCCANN' IRISH OATMEAL (7)
MOM'S BEST CEREALS (7)
NATURE'S PATH ORGANIC
Granola (2)
NEWMAN'S OWN
Sweet Enough (2)
POST [OWNED BY GENERAL FOODS/KRAFT]
Alpha-Bits
Blueberry Morning
Bran Flakes
Fruity Pebbles (4)
Golden Crisp
Grape Nut Flakes
Grape Nuts (2)
Great Grains (5)
Honey Bunches of Oats (9)
Honeycomb
Sesame Street (2)
Shredded Wheat (4)
Waffle Crisp
QUAKER OATS
Cap'n Crunch (4)
Instant Grits
Life (4)
Lowfat Granola
Oat Bran
Oatmeal
Oatmeal Squares
Puffed Rice
Quisp
Whole Hearts
SILVER PALATE
Oatmeal
SUN COUNTRY FOODS
Kretschmer Wheat Germ (2)
WEETABIX
Weetabix Whole Grain Cereal
Breakfast cereal history & prices.
About culinary research & about copyright
Research conducted by Lynne
Olver, editor The Food
Timeline. About this site.