Raspberry Wheat

Ever wondered what life was like before the tofu? Wot, no bacon, ham or vegetarian cheat? What these people? Too bad if it was, even in Victorian times there were brave souls out there who do not eat animal products and they work very hard with limited ingredients.

Although the word vegan "was not used until 1944, the word vegetarian was coined a hundred years before and in this movement, there were always those of milk and eggs to avoid. Not only are there recipes that avoid all animal products, but in 1900, a selection of branded products vegan too.

In 1908 his book, "Handbook of vegetarian cooking, George Black describes the menu at the party the weekend vegetarian house in Devon (see, even then, vegetables known to have a good time!), And lists a dish Protos breakfast and tomato - Fried

(Scheduled for six people)
1 pound box Protos
Tomatoes ½ dozen
Salt and pepper to taste

Dip tomatoes in boiling water, peel, slice and fry in Nutter or Albene. Protos Slice and fry the same way. Season, garnish with parsley and serve.

Protos was among a number of "nut meats" available (the others included Nutose and Meatose), similar to the substance in the boxes available in health food stores today, usually from peanuts and flour or wheat gluten. Nutter and Albene were both butter substitutes. Albene is a vegetable fat, while Nutter was made from butter and coconut can be bought as cooking Nutter, a white fat, and Nutter Suet for cooking.

Florence George also wrote in 1908 recognizes the prevention of egg and dairy products as one of three kinds of vegetarian diet, and in his list of suggested menus for a week, a dinner on Thursday looks pretty vegan green pea soup, scallops with butter-bean, mushroom pie (No. 2), spinal vegetables, fruit salad.

We must admire the ingenuity and strenuous efforts of early writers recipe, even if the results do not match the taste of the day, as in this recipe book of 1866 "by a vegetarian lady omelette without eggs or butter

A pound of bread, one half pound of onions, a quarter pound of macaroni, three ounces of chopped parsley, a spoonful of tapioca, two tablespoons of salad oil and a teaspoon of baking powder .

Boil macaroni in water, adding a bit of salt, or bake in the oven with plenty of water, covered with a sheet until tender but not soft, drain the water from it and, once cooled, cut into small pieces and boil the tapioca in a quart of water five or six minutes, mixed with onions, cooked and chopped a few crumbs, parsley, and baking powder, season with pepper and salt. Put oil in a dish and then a layer of macaroni mixture and in turn, with three and two layers of macaroni mixture and bake in a moderately hot oven, and turn it into a hot, flat dish.

However, you can impress your friends with a vegan diet Dinner Party in Victoria, and there are many good recipes. Here are a few to get you started (more revenue can be found in Early Vegetarian Recipes )

Hotch Potch by Job Caudwell 1865
A deliciously simple recipe is especially good if cooked in a broth made from the skins of vegetables.

Turnips 4, 1 pound carrots, 1 onion, lettuce, parsley.

Put 4 gallons of water in a pan, put on fire and put the carrots and turnips, part of which must be grated, and the rest cut into small square pieces with other vegetables.