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Victoria Day Food History


1854 Celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday on the grounds of the second Government House of Upper Canada, Toronto.

For Canadians, Victoria Day (or May 24 [pronounced two-four, also slang for a case of 24 beers]) is an important celebration which generally marks the unofficial beginning of summer. Victoria Day occurs on the Monday before May 25th and forms the third day of a long weekend. So although we refer to it as May 24, Victoria Day can actually fall on any date between the 18th and 24th of May. This year we celebrate on the 19th.

However, as the name might suggest, in the beginning Victoria Day wasn't exactly meant to signify the beginning of summer. May 24, 1819 happens to be the birthday of Queen Victoria. Celebrations of the Queen's birthday had occurred in Canada since before it was actually a country. These celebrations were usually on the actual date of May 24th. In 1845 (22 years before Confederation) the parliament of the Province of Canada passed legislation which officially recognized the date of the Queen's birthday as a holiday. By the 1890s Victoria Day had turned into quite the festive occasion, complete with ringing church bells, marching bands, parades, picnics, fireworks, gun salutes, athletic competitions, and bonfires.

Following Victoria's death in 1901, the birthday of her son, Edward VII, was also celebrated on May 24th, despite his being born in November. The next sovereign, George V, had his birthday officially celebrated on June 3rd, which was indeed his real birth date. Though he only ruled for a year, Edward VIII had his birthday celebrated once on the actual date, June 23rd. The next monarch, George VI, officially celebrated his birthday in June as well, despite being born in December. For her first birthday as Queen, Elizabeth II continued the tradition of celebrating her birthday in June, although she was born in April. Meanwhile, Canadians had continued to celebrate Victoria Day in May. Canadians had maintained a fondness for the "Mother of Confederation," who had overseen the rule of Canada as it came to maturity as its own nation. Perhaps this is why, in the second year of her reign (1953), Queen Victoria's birthday was, by proclamation, to be celebrated on Victoria Day. Although Queen Elizabeth II's birthday is still celebrated in June in the United Kingdom, in 1957 Canada officially and permanently appointed Victoria Day as Elizabeth II's birthday as well. To make matters more confusing, in 1898, Empire Day was first celebrated in Canada on the school day before May 24th, thus building upon the celebrations of Victoria Day to glorify Canada's ties to the British Empire. In 1952, Empire Day was moved to the Monday before May 24th, and the year after, Victoria Day was moved to the same date, thus merging the two holidays. However, in 1958 Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day and in 1977 it was once again moved, this time to the second Monday in March. This left Victoria Day/Elizabeth II's birthday on the Monday before May 24th, as the statutory holiday we celebrate today.

The Lewiston Daily Sun - May 3, 1901

Today Victoria Day contains many of the same activities - mainly picnics, parades, and fireworks - as well as some more modern additions. The long weekend is when Canadians can open up their dusty cottages after the winter, start gardening, go camping, boating, or maybe even risk a swim (though the water may be quite chilly). The beverage of choice is two-fours of ice cold beer and barbecues will be fired up once again. Many people take advantage of the time off to party. Some people may even still recite the old rhyme, "The Twenty-Fourth of May is the Queen’s Birthday. If we don’t get a holiday, we’ll all run away!"

So what, then, do Canadians eat on Victoria Day? I tried to answer this question, and here's what I found from newspaper advertisements (mostly from grocers advertising foods for the holiday) and a few cookbooks:
  • "families would char hotdogs or burn hamburgers over an open fire. It was fishing time, too, with sleek pickerel...smelt...and suckers..." Gadsden Times - May 13, 1975
  • Creole Wieners and Oriental Spice Cake with Mocha Icing. Ottawa Citizen - May 17, 1956
  • Sliced cold turkey. Ottawa Citizen - May 18, 1967
  • Potted meats, potted fish, potted game, lunch tongue, boneless chicken, boneless turkey, chipped beef, pate de fois, truffled birds, cottage loaf, ham loaf, beef loaf, fruit wines and ciders, fruit syrups, lime juice. Ottawa Citizen - May 22, 1901
  • Oranges, olives, dates, prunes, butter scotch, Welch's grape juice. The Montreal Gazette - May 21, 1912
  • Sandwiches, salads. The Montreal Gazette - May 23, 1941
  • Domestic ducks, roasting chickens, squabs, broilers, brome lake ducklings. The Montreal Gazette - May 23, 1941
  • Roast ham, boiled ham, corned beef, pressed ham, jellied tongue, jellied veal, jellied hock, english brawn, pickles. Ottawa Citizen - May 22, 1913
  • Asparagus soup, roast lamb, minted peas and carrots, rissole potatoes, relish tray, chutney, rhubarb custard pie. Chatelaine's Adventures in Cooking, 1969
  • Devilled eggs, pan-fried minted brook trout, cheese herb bread with sweet butter, spring salad, Fullarton May cakes with fudge icing, classic butter tarts, chilled dry white wine, cold lager beer. Classic Canadian Cooking, 1974

Sources:

"Commonwealth Day." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Nov. 2014. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Day>.

Toffoli, Garry. "The Queen’s Birthday in Canada." Canadian Royal Heritage Trust. N.p., 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://crht.ca/the-queens-birthday-in-canada/>.

"Victoria Day." Canadian Heritage. Government of Canada, 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1359139714709/1359139936142>.

"Victoria Day." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Nov. 2014. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Day>.

"Victoria Day in Canada." Time and Date. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/victoria-day>.

"Victoria Day: Responsible Rule and Firecrackers." The Globe and Mail. N.p., 18 June 2012. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/victoria-day-responsible-rule-and-firecrackers/article4197794/>.
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St. Patrick's Day Party (c. 1931)

I love that The Settlement Cook Book includes holiday menus like this one for a Saint Patrick's Day party. Its rather rare to find menus like this in early cookbooks, especially for something other than Christmas. The theme here seems to be green + mint - not so different from a menu we might see today! There is also an emphasis on potatoes and shamrocks, two items which have continued to symbolize Irish heritage even today.
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Washington's Birthday Luncheon (c.1931)

Unless you're a new reader, you might already know that I'm Canadian. But I get a kick out of American holidays too! That's probably because I've spent a few years living there - in California for a year and later in Ohio for 4 years. So yes, Presidents' Day is today! Also called Washington's Birthday. If you want to get all festive and historical, try out this 1930s menu for a luncheon from The Settlement Cook Book! I've also done the work of finding the referenced recipes, so they're also included below the menu itself.

Original Recipe:










 So let's break down this menu.

Orange halves with maraschino cherries: Washington is often associated with cherries, and while some "cherry tree chopping" story has been debunked as myth, he did apparently like to eat the fruit.

Chicken a la Maryland: I'm not really sure where they're going with this one, as Washington is well-known to have been very fond of fish, not chicken.

Southern Sweet Potatoes: I'd guess this is a nod to Washington's southern heritage.

Virginia Corn Bread: There was no such recipe, but there were recipes for plain old "Cornbread." Since Washington was born in Virginia and lived there at Mt. Vernon, I assume this is a convenient re-naming.

Cherry Salad: Again, the association of Washington with cherries. I found it interesting that this recipe actually specifies in the instructions that it is good for celebrating his birthday.

Boston Brown Bread: Boston is a place that is really steeped in American heritage. During the American Revolution, Washington forced the British out of Boston, which saved the city from an ongoing siege.

Chocolate Roll: Again, this seems like an odd choice. Why not Washington Cake?!?! I mean, really...It's an obvious choice...

Nuts, Raisins, Coffee: GW apparently loved nuts, especially hazelnuts and shellbacks (similar to pecans).

If you're extra curious, there's lots more information on what Washington and other Presidents liked to eat here!
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Banana Drop Cookies (1941) ★★



A little while ago I bought some bananas on a whim (I usually don't buy them) and to my surprise Little Y was very excited about eating bananas....for two days. And then she refused to eat bananas and I had a bunch of very ripe bananas with no one to eat them. I had discovered this fun little banana pamphlet a while ago and saved it, so I thought this would be the perfect way to use up my ripe bananas.

This pamphlet was published in 1941 by the Home Economics Department of New York. There are some interesting recipes included, such as Ham Banana Rolls, Broiled Bananas and Bacon, and Banana Rice Savory. The illustrations are quite amusing, and I love how they include menus using each recipe.


Original Recipe:


The Verdict:
I was a bit disappointed by these cookies. The taste of the shortening is really prominent - too much so. If the recipe used butter instead I would probably give the recipe 4 stars, but like this it only gets 2. The texture is not like a cookie at all. These are basically like little banana breads - very light and fluffy (not a bad thing, just not like a  typical cookie). They are not very sweet either, even though I used extra ripe bananas. They are not bad, however. I think these would also be delicious with some chocolate chips mixed in - you can never go wrong with chocolate!


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Bananas..how to serve them found at Curly Wurly)

The original recipe is very easy to follow. The only change I would make is to use at least half butter in place of half of the shortening. I haven't tested this, but I think it should work and would make the recipe quite edible.
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New Year's Day Menu (1887) ★★★★★


Ending my 4 Weeks of Yuletide is a menu for New Year's Day, which comes from The Whitehouse Cookbook. Since this cookbook comes from the President's kitchen, this was probably a pretty elite menu for the time period. Even today, this is a lot of food, and is fairly carb-heavy - I mean, hominy, potatoes, rolls, doughnuts, AND toast all at breakfast?!
As much as I would love to make this entire menu (haha - not - can you imagine one person making all this food?!) I decided to pick a selection of the breakfast recipes.

Original Recipe:


NEW YEAR'S DAY.

BREAKFAST.
Baked Apples 515.
Hominy 274.
Boiled White Fish 59.
Ham Omelet 233.
Potatoes á la Crême 193.
Parker House Rolls 253.
Crullers 317.
Toast 276.
Coffee 458.

SUPPER.
Cold Roast Turkey 82.
Boston Oyster Pie 76.
Celery Salad 174.
Baked Sweet Potatoes 198.
Rusks 256.
Fruit Cake 290.
Sliced Oranges.
Tea 460.

DINNER.
Oysters on Half Shell.
Julienne Soup 33.
Baked Pickerel 51.
Roast Turkey 82, Oyster Stuffing 83.
Mashed Potatoes 192.
Boiled Onions 198.
Baked Winter Squash 212.
Cranberry Sauce 163.
Chicken Pie 89.
Plain Celery 175.
Lobster Salad 171.
Olives.
Spiced Currants 189.
English Plum Pudding 396, Wine Sauce 417.
Mince Pie 338.
Orange-water Ice 380.
Fancy Cakes 310.
Cheese.
Fruits.
Nuts.
Raisins.
Confectionery.
Coffee 458.

BAKED APPLES.
Get nice fruit, a little tart and juicy, but not sour; clean them nicely, and bake in a moderate oven—regulated so as to have them done in about an hour; when the skin cracks and the pulp breaks through in every direction they are done and ready to take out. Serve with white sugar sprinkled over them.

HAM OMELET.
Cut raw ham into dice, fry with butter and when cooked enough, turn the beaten egg over it and cook as a plain omelet.
If boiled ham is used, mince it and mix with the egg after they are beaten. Bacon may be used instead of raw ham.

POTATOES Á LA CRÊME.
Heat a cupful of milk; stir in a heaping tablespoonful of butter cut up in as much flour. Stir until smooth and thick; pepper and salt, and add two cupfuls of cold boiled potatoes, sliced, and a little very finely chopped parsley. Shake over the fire until the potatoes are hot all through, and pour into a deep dish.

The Verdict:

The baked apple was perfectly cooked, and really delicious. It probably didn't even need the sugar because the baking really brought out the sweetness. I think cinnamon would have made it even better, but it really was quite tasty as it was. A super simple recipe, too, and it made my kitchen smell incredible. I cut out the core from the center, because it seemed logical, even though the recipe didn't specifically mention to do so.
The omelet was, well, a bacon omelet. I used bacon because I had that on hand. Admittedly, I didn't follow the directions for making "a plain omelet", because it didn't occur to me to find that recipe until I had mixed up the eggs. Oops. Anyway, Mr. Man said it was "amazing."
Mr. Man and I liked the potatoes, although they were a bit plain. Some cheese on top or some garlic powder would have been nice, but they were certainly edible and I would eat them gladly.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from The Whitehouse Cookbook)

Baked Apples
APPLES
WHITE SUGAR

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Scrub the skin of the apples well. Cut out the cores. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 1 hour, or until the skin splits and a toothpick easily pierces the fruit. Let cool slightly and serve sprinkled with sugar.

Ham Omelet
3 slices BACON or UNCOOKED HAM, diced
2 EGGS
1 tablespoon MILK
SALT
PEPPER

1. Dice the bacon or raw ham. Fry in a skillet, using butter if using ham. If using bacon, drain off most of the grease, leaving a little for cooking the egg in.
2. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the cooked meat and cook over medium heat until just firm.
3. Use a spatula around the edge of the pan to make sure the omelet isn't stuck and flip one side over the other. Carefully flip onto a plate. Makes 1 omelet.

Potatoes a la Creme
2 cups of boiled, sliced POTATOES
1 cup MILK
1 tablespoon BUTTER
1 tablespoon FLOUR
SALT
PEPPER
PARSLEY

1. In a skillet, heat the milk until boiling. Rub the butter into the flour until crumbly. When the milk is boiling, whisk the butter mixture into it. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cook the sauce until thickened. Fold in the sliced potatoes and heat through. serve with parsley sprinkled on top.
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Vanilla Ice Cream with Marshmallows (c. 1931) ★★★★★


Today I have a menu for "Christmas Dinner," taken from The Settlement Cookbook. This cookbook was originally published in 1901 and was so successful that a further 34 editions were published. Today's excerpt comes from the edition published around 1931, which seems to be one of the more popular editions. In this edition the author, Lizzie Black Kander, includes several menu suggestions, including ones for holidays such as Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Lent, and Washington's Birthday. Since making the whole Christmas menu would be a little...overwhelming, I chose to make just one dish, marshmallow ice cream. The menu didn't indicate a specific flavour, but the book gives a few varieties, including chocolate, coffee, orange, and New York.
What caught my attention while reading this cookbook was that it was written by a Jewish woman who wanted to assimilate young Jewish girls into mainstream American society. One might see Kander's fight for Americanization of immigrants as a negative thing - after all, she was encouraging the abandonment of traditional culinary values. However, it would be difficult not to describe Kander as a strong, courageous woman who actively sought out her goals (despite the fact that she proclaimed the importance of the woman in the domestic sphere).
The focus of the cookbook explains the emphasis on American holidays in the menus section. However, I did notice a few traditional Jewish recipes throughout the book, such as matzo balls, matzo pudding, and kugel. There are also a number of German and Eastern European influences present - in fact, the book is one of the largest collections of Jewish and German recipes published in the United States.
The Settlement Cookbook was also a charity cookbook - its aim was to raise funds for the Jewish Settlement House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ("settlement work" was a term used to describe charitable work among immigrants). The success of the book meant that charities in Milwaukee benefited from the book's sales for over 75 years.
Overall, Kander's work was extremely influential in Milwaukee and the United States as a piece of socio-cultural history. Indeed, it is still influencing North American society today, in facsimile and new revised editions.

Original Recipe:



The Verdict:
This ice cream is ridiculously creamy. I was shocked at how silky it was on my tongue. I liked the flavour, but I think I might have preferred the chocolate variety a little more. Mr. Man thought it was cream cheese at first. He didn't like it, but that's because he doesn't like marshmallows.
I also happened to accidentally burn a little bit of the mixture while it was on the stove, but it actually gave a nice toasted marshmallow flavour. Really, this recipe is nice the way it is, but next time I would toast the marshmallows beforehand.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Way to A Man's Heart ... The Settlement Cook Book)

1 cup MILK
20 MARSHMALLOWS
1 cup CREAM or EVAPORATED MILK
1 teaspoon VANILLA

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk. Cut the marshmallows into small pieces and add to the hot milk, stirring until dissolved.
2. To the saucepan, add the vanilla. Let cool.
3. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the cooled marshmallow mixture.
4. Put the ice cream mixture into the freezer to set or follow the directions on your ice cream maker.

-----
Sources

 Fritz, Angela. "Lizzie Black Kander and Culinary Reform in Milwaukee, 1880 - 1920."Wisconsin Magazine of History 87.3 (2004): 36-49. Wisconsin Historical Society. 2007. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wmh/id/42933/show/42910>.

"Lizzie Black Kander." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 May 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Black_Kander>.

"The Settlement Cook Book." Feeding America. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/books/book_52.cfm>.
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Picnic Lunch (c. 1905) ★★★★





Summer is the perfect time for picnics, so I thought I would share this bill of fare for a picnic lunch from a circa 1905 California cookbook. I also decided to include some lemonade with our picnic. It isn't listed in this menu, but it was included in another picnic menu from the same cookbook. Also, I didn't make the salad dressing because I just used mayonnaise.
Overall, it seems like picnic food hasn't changed much over the years!












Original Recipes: 
The Verdict:
Veal Loaf: It was good, but I overdid the celery salt just a bit. It's very strong stuff, so you only need a pinch. Other than that it was yummy.

Cheese Sandwiches: Well...it's just mustard and cheese in bread, so....yeah, it was good.

Olive Sandwiches: Mr. Man really liked these, but our olives had apparently gone off, so he threw it out. He said otherwise the sandwich would have been delicious.

Potato Salad: Mr. Man LOVED this. But he loves anything with cayenne, so I wasn't surprised. He practically licked the bowl clean.

Wafers: At first I thought these were super weird and didn't really like them, but the more I ate the better they tasted. They cooked up with domes in the centers and were really spongy like mini pancakes. I am assuming you are supposed to eat these with jam, since the menu says to bring along some jelly. They taste very buttery and are alright on their own, but really delicious with jam.

Overall, a lovely picnic and all the recipes were edible!










Modernized Recipes:
(Adapted from The Times Cook Book, No. 2 )

Veal Loaf
1 1/2 pounds GROUND VEAL or BEEF
1/4 pound BUTTER, softened
1/4 cup CRACKERS, crushed, or BREAD CRUMBS
1/4 cup MILK
1 EGG
SALT
PEPPER
SAGE
THYME
CELERY SALT
BUTTER

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together ground veal (or beef; I used ground beef), butter, crackers/bread crumbs, milk, egg, and spices to taste.
3. Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place in the middle of the lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake the loaf for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with some butter which has been melted with a little water.

Cheese Sandwiches
BREAD
BUTTER, softened
SWISS CHEESE
MUSTARD

1. Butter slices of bread. Fill sandwiches with cheese and mustard.





Olive Sandwiches
BREAD
LETTUCE
OLIVES
MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Dice olives and mix them with enough mayonnaise to spread on the number of sandwiches you want. I think I used about 5 olives and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for 1 sandwich.
2. Spread the mixture on crisp lettuce leaves and place between two slices of bread.

Potato Salad
12 medium POTATOES
3 tablespoons PARSLEY, minced
3 tablespoons CELERY, minced
2 tablespoons ONION, minced
SALT
CAYENNE PEPPER
3 HARD BOILED EGGS, diced
1/2 pint MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Peel and dice 12 medium potatoes. Boil until tender.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.

Salad Dressing
2 EGG YOLKS
1 tablespoon BUTTER, softened
4 tablespoons VINEGAR
1 teaspoon SALT
1 teaspoon SUGAR
1 teaspoon MUSTARD
1/2 cup CREAM

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the butter. Mix in the vinegar, salt, sugar, and mustard. 
2. Put boiling water in a larger bowl or pot and float the smaller bowl with the dressing in the boiling water. Whisk until it thickens.
3. When the dressing has thickened, take it off the heat and let it cool. Mix in the cream.

Wafers
1 cup UNSALTED BUTTER, softened
1 cup SUGAR
2/3 cup BUTTERMILK
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
2 EGGS
1/2 teaspoon SALT
FLOUR
JAM, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in the buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, and salt.
3. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. I think I used 2 cups, or maybe less.
4. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 7 - 10 minutes, or until firm and golden around the edges. Serve with jam if desired.
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Menu for February 14 (1919)

FEBRUARY 14

BREAKFAST
Stewed rhubarb
Plain omelet
Rolls
Coffee

LUNCHEON
Smoked eels
Pumpernickel with sweet butter
Roast loin of pork with sauerkraut
Plain boiled potatoes
German huckleberry pie
Coffee

DINNER
Lynn Haven oysters
Cream of cauliflower
Pickles
Broiled Spanish mackerel, sauce fleurette
Chicken sauté, Portugaise
Artichokes Hollandaise
Hearts of lettuce, French dressing
Diplomate pudding
Assorted cakes
Coffee

This menu comes from The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book. Not so much like a cookbook, this was more a collection of menus used at the hotel, along with some simple instructions.
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