Vintage Holiday Recipes
Christmas Recipes from 1883
Author Thomas Low Nichols, M.D. , a physician, reformer, journalist, and a founding Vice President of the American Vegetarian Society, became an American expatriate residing in England with his spouse Mary Gove Nichols, the novelist, health practioner, and vegetarian reformer.
The following recipes are from Dr Nichols’ Penny Vegetarian Cookery: The Science and the Art of Selecting and Preparing A Pure, Healthful, And Sufficient Diet
(We have not tested these recipes, so if you do you are on your own.)
Plum Pudding
Raisins (stones), 1 lb
Currants (washed) ½ lb
Candied peel 2 oz
Wheaten meal 3 lb
Moist sugar ¾ lb
Baking powder, 2 rsp
A little grated ginger and nutmeg
Rub them well together; then making a hole in the middle, pour in about 3 tbs of best olive oil, add as much cold water as necessary; beat up with a wooden spoon. Put the pudding into a basin previously greased with olive oil; tie up securely in a cloth, and place it in a pot of boiling water, and keep boiling about ten hours.
Vegetarian Mince Pie
3 lbs. peeled, cored apples
1 lb raisins
1 lb currants
¼ lb citron
¼ lb orange and lemon peel mixed
½ lb brown sugar
1 lb treacle
1 nutmeg , grated
1 tsp powdered cloves
1 tsp powdered mace
1 tsp ground cinnamon.
Wash currants, stone raisins, cut peel in slices. Mix these with the other ingredients and apples chopped fine. This quantity sufficient for seven or eight pies the size od a dinner plate. When baking into pies, allow one thoroughly beaten egg to each (VegMuseum note: egg replacer is available at natural food stores); also a tbs. of lemon juice and one essence of lemon, and heat the whole for a few minutes over the fire. Grease a plate, cover over with paste, lay on the mince meat, cover in with paste, and bake in a brisk oven til lightly browned. The spices may be omitted or varied according to taste.
(Note: Nichols tells us we can add butter: olive oil, and other types of substitutes are widely available, or just leave it out.)
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