I love old books. This is a cookbook from 1930. The Princesses cookbook with old recipes, both everyday cooking and partyfood from that time.
Browsing through it, you can notice that cooking has changed a lot. Not any fast food in there. The cooking was taking more time then and the ingredients were different.
There is a lot of recipes that no one is cooking any more, but never the less very interesting to read. Then of course I’m a hungry monster, so I may have more interest than you in these kind of matters *lol*.
What do you say about these odd recipes:
- Deep fried tinned sprats cured in brine
- Tongue salad (lightly salted bullock tongue)
- Oven grilled calf brain
- Genuine turtle soup
- Bullock tail soup
- Oven cooked eel
- Cooked glazed calf shoulder
- Cooked smoked pig head
- Cooked pig feet
- Steam cooked hen
- Blood pudding
Getting any hungry yet….?
I guess it was a matter of eating what they could get over and mostly locally produced grocerys. A lot of the swedish folks were farmers, that was how they got their food. Not so much imported food and not so influenced of other countries cooking as we are today here in Sweden.
Of course there is a lot of other more tasty recipes, but that is some how not so fun to write about…. The dessert and cakes recipes are many, so I’m sure there is something to get there. Here is a picture of one of the three princesses cake which had the taste of sweet almond and nougat.
The really useful parts in this cookbook is:
a) All the sauce recipes. That is almost like a gold mine, because no one ever does any sauces any longer, so not many have the knowledge how to. I will definite explore that one further.
b) Other old swedish meals that was counted as true everyday fare, but is on the way to be outdated. They are actually really good. Many of them easy to make and not so expensive. So I’ll try to keep some of them up on the menu.
c) Described details of how to prepare certain food from the scratch. As an example how to lard and sew up a bird – or the different parts of a whole pig or bullock illustrated.
The difference in this old cookbook is that there is no ready ingredients to just mix together, everything is done from scratch with local fresh ingredients. Some of them demands a lot of preparing. The house wifes seemed to have more time over for that then – or didnt have any choice.
I love the extra advices in the end of the cookbook:
1. One huge list of tools needed in a kitchen, counted to a sum of approx. 450 swedish crowns ($59) in 1929. There is absolutely everything they could possible use in a kitchen – even for cleaning the kitchen and the kitchen staffs shoes!
2. Very detailed cleaning advices for iron stoves, silver, windows and washing of white curtains (!). The curtains washing procedure was quite advanced and involved whipping soft soap, turpentine and ammonia. They were supposed to lay in that mix over the night too. No wash machine lazyness. I wonder how dirty they were, demanding that washing procedure….
3. Information about the newest type of stove used at that time, AGA spisen, with coke as fuel.
4. A list of different foods chemical composition, splitted in percentage of albumin, fat, carbohydrate, water, salt and waste. That’s all. Quite different from todays cookbooks that lists the energy, protein, iron and vitamins in the food. People are more aware today and take an active part in their diet.
We’ll see if I manage to cook something from it some day, I promise to report if I do!
I found it in a second-hand bookshop on the internet actually – always on the internet
What an old cook book. I think it’s great. I love to cook, I just don’t have a lot of time to cook.
Where did you find this old cook book?
Uhum, actually tnchick, it’s a little of both. Even though eating lettuce isn’t enough for me and the cookbook really is enough for me…. Confusing? oh no. hehe.
Remember, I’m crazy *lol* I must be, it’s 5.40 in the morning over here and I SHOULD go to bed… soon…
The internet is great for finding treasures like such. SO, is it really Nib’s eating lettuce that made you hungry or this cook book?
I do have to admit that I adore turtle soup. None of that mock turtle soup for me!
Well the first recipes I could do without.
I have lots of cookbooks here. I just love to cook.
Some of the old recipes should be remembered. Wea re becoming to used to fast foods and are getting to lazy to cook at home as much.
That list of odd recipes actually might make it easier to stick to my resolve to not eat anymore…lol.
Can’t wait to hear which recipes fill your stomach monster’s belly
Gayle, I just knew that some one would say that about the turtle soup. I never tasted it myself.
Yes, Walker, that’s the sad fact. People stopped the cooking. Don’t have the time or energy or interest of cooking. That’s really a pity. I think we’re lowering our standards that way.
There is nothing like homecooked!!!
Aha, Skye, I just knew you would say that! And waited for the wishes to hear which recipes I made. Maybe you’ll have to wait for long. We’re kind of struck in old habits here, we have a bunch of recipes we’re doing steadily. That’s our lazyness, still homecooked but the same ones
It really is unusual meals here in Sweden today Dave. Not many cook them any longer. At least not from scratch. Some of them is available in the stores, like blood pudding. That’s ordinary lunch food for children. And for me now with my lack of iron
I’ve never eaten pig feet and I really don’t know if I could. That’s an experience I have left hey? *lol*
I enjoy cooking and from scratch. And what’s unusual about pigs feet, oxtail soup (and around here oxtails are NOT inexpensive) and blood pudding (which I don’t eat but I know people who do)? At least chitterlings (cooked sausage casings without the sausage) were were left out of you list. Havn’t eaten any pigs feet recently but then I havn’t been offered any either.
The photos of the bird don’t make me hungry either Sharlet… For once
Ehh… The photos don’t look so nice, especially the one of the bird…
It must have really been difficult for people in the past to imagine how tasty the food could be without colour photographs! ;D Nowadays, all cookbooks have large colour, mouth-watering photographs that take up 1 whole page! It’s funny to see how things have changed isn’t it! 
I’ve been behind a bit on reading blogs. I’m happy to see I can always visit this weird and wonderful journal and discover lovely posts like this.
Somehow Napfisk, I just knew that you would like this post… *lol*
This book is a real treasure. You gave me a great idea: I’m going to pay more attention to antiques shops, maybe I can find some similar books myself, as I’m addicted to cooking and I enjoy very much trying all kind of recipes.
It’s interesting how food goes out of favor. When I was young ‘tripe’ was popular – never did like the stuff myself. I did try blood pudding for the first time not too long ago. It was quite nice.
Paula from Only Cookware’s last blog post..Why Is Even Heat Distribution Important in Cookware?
[...] Old Swedish Cookbook [...]
I think you should start with the Oven grilled calf brain. If you invite company be sure to not tell them what you are having before hand.
Here is a true story…
My wife and I decided to flip our guests out one night. We arranged a nice silver platter with a bed of lettuce and the put raw chicken feet in a circular pattern.
Needless to say — our guest wanted to hit the door running!
Bet with the oven grilled calf brain you might have some just pass out!!
hey I found a cook book to day at yard sale and I need help figuring it out the top states CALONIUS LINDVIST TENNBERG and I figured out the title says Tyttojen Keittokirja stands for girls cookbook any help email me at unoinjun25@yahoo.com the book was printed in 1938 and it is written in Finnish thanks
Thanks for your comment on our blog. I’m sorry, I can’t be to any help here I think. I don’t really know what you’re asking either: the Finnish words you wrote here does mean Girl’s cookbook accoarding to translate.google.com, but that’s all I know unfortunately.
Kind regards,
Lifecruiser.com
well I was hoping to see if it was worth anything and do you know of anywhere I would you be able to take it to or call about it thanks….