Common Food Substitutions for Hard Times

Recently I was looking through an old Civil War Recipe book and came across some common food substitutions. I was really surprised at some of them, so I thought you would be interested in them.  These recipes came about because of the war and people having food shortages

I am sure that many of these same substitutions were made during the great depression and during other periods of hard times.  The more of these we can learn the better.

 Common Food Substitutions

Butter: the South didn’t have the dairy products available in the North, so pork lard (or bacon grease) was frequently substituted for butter.

Hot chocolate: This was invented from peanuts. The peanuts were roasted, skinned, and pounded in a mortar. The result when blended with boiled milk and sugar was found delightful.

Coffee: Coffee was becoming popular during the war, but hard to get so some  of the substitutes used for coffee where; parched and ground acorns, beans, chicory, corn, cottonseed dandelion roots, groundnuts, okra seeds, peanuts, peas, parched rice, rye, sweet potato and wheat.

Meat: when game was short they ate mules, dogs, cats, rats and other usual sources of protein. Groundnuts are a good source also.

Molasses: They suggested watermelon syrup as a good substitute for molasses.

Saleratus: (Baking Soda) because it was manufactured in the North it wasn’t available in the South.  A substitute for Saleratus was lye or potash, which acted as a leavening agent.  (I have found some additional information on how to do this; as soon as I get it together, I will post it.)  Here are some links to old blogs What do You do When Your Yeast Runs Out or Gets Old? Soda Bread with Vinegar Salt Rising Bread.

Sugar: The main substitute for sugar was sorghum, but other substitutes could be used: honey, maple sugar, boiled sap from butternut or walnut trees, sugar beets and persimmons

Vanilla: The leaves of the peach tree were used as a replacement for vanilla.

Vegetables: When they became scarce in the cities, herbs and flowers were eaten. The only fresh vegetable available in Richmond was watercress.

Wheat Flour: Substitutes included cornmeal and rice flour, seed from the white beech, as well as ground doura corn.

The subject of common food substitutions is one that greatly interests me.  If you have a favorite, please post it in the comments. Thank You

Preparedness Mom

The post Common Food Substitutions for Hard Times appeared first on PREPAREDNESS ADVICE.