We want to welcome you to Civil War Cooking, an off-shoot of the Civil War cooking section of the Civil War Interactive website.

Here, in the coming days, weeks and months, we’ll feed you new recipes, tips and tricks, tutorials and more regarding 19th-century cooking. Eventually the entire existing Civil War Interactive cooking section will be moved here, along with tons of new material.

It’s important to understand that our goal is not to get you to cook using the methods of the 1800’s. We don’t expect all of you to run to your back-yard to dig a fire pit, and we know you don’t have a wood-burning stove handy. Instead we want to show you how to make authentic 19th-century food in a 21st-century kitchen. Also important is that you understand that when compared to today’s food, the food of yesterday tends toward the bland side. Herbs and spices were often the domain of the wealthy, and the wealthy weren’t the ones writing the cookbooks. But these recipes are not scripture. Experiment. Play. Have fun – in the end, that’s what it’s all about!

Trust us when we say there’s no greater satisfaction than that which you get after sinking your teeth into the same food your ancestors ate, prepared the same way. While some recipes will require slight adjustments for the 21st -century, you’ll find that part of the fun, and we’ll help you along the way.

If you have any questions regarding the preparation of the food, or requests for a special recipe, feel free to use the contact form. If you try any of these recipes, please use the comments function and let us know your experience. We’re thrilled to have you here. Enjoy!