# Prof. Bricker's Time Machine checks out cuisine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175 "2011-09-04T18:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/1 "2011-09-04T18:36:33Z")
How different would food taste if I set my time machine for New York c. 1880 and stepped into a restaurant for lamb stew? How about some hospitable Oregon Trail family’s home? ---
**Author:** ![Thrash\_the\_Almighty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90ced4/32.png) [@Thrash\_the\_Almighty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thrash_the_Almighty)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/2 "2011-09-04T18:55:50Z")
I do not have an exact answer, but I will offer this link for relevant reading [http://www.foodtimeline.org/index.html](http://www.foodtimeline.org/index.html) and this link to a cook book from 1880 which includes directions on making stewed lamb’s tongue. [http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/coldfusion/display.cfm?ID=miss&PageNum=171](http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/coldfusion/display.cfm?ID=miss&PageNum=171) ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/3 "2011-09-04T19:00:33Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > How different would food taste if I set my time machine for New York c. 1880 and stepped into a restaurant for lamb stew? Check this out: > **[Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York: Grimes, William: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Appetite-City-Culinary-History-York/dp/B0057DBM52)** > > Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York \[Grimes, William\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York Not 1880 but 1939, you could also have your very own personal culinary wayback machine experience of the World’s Fair if you have the time and money to blow, according to this link I found: [http://www.momofuku.com/news-and-events/momofukupresents/#sundaysx](http://www.momofuku.com/news-and-events/momofukupresents/#sundaysx) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/4 "2011-09-04T20:15:38Z")
It’s interesting to see what was served on the RMS Titanic–[here’s a link](http://www.webtitanic.net/framemenu.html) to the menus. Some of it looks pretty familiar, but I’ve never heard of a few items. And interestingly, the [last First Class meal](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8607059.stm) has been recently recreated. So, if you are truly interested, Professor Bricker, you may not need your Wayback Machine–just ask the chef in the linked news item if he has any plans for future Titanic meals. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/5 "2011-09-04T20:16:22Z")
Nothing useful to add, except that if “Prof. Bricker’s Time Machine Checks Out Cuisine” was a new show on Food Network, I’d watch it. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/6 "2011-09-04T20:22:35Z")
The 19th Century NYC restaurant _Delmonico’s_ is known for being the origin of the “Delmonico steak” (also known as a NY Strip Steak, though other sources claim the steak served at Delmonico’s was actually a boneless ribeye or top sirloin cut). The Wikipedia article for Delmonico’s also mentions that it’s the first “high class” restaurant offering _a la carte_ menu ordering, and includes a link to a picture of a [Delmonico’s menu from 1899](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Delmonico_menu_April_1899.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/7 "2011-09-04T21:37:46Z")
I’m not sure, but I think the more relevant question is the taste of the ingredients, not the recipe or the menu. For example, grass-fed beef just tastes different than corn-fed, as most people realize. I wouldn’t have the first clue as to whether the lettuce we eat today would taste different if it had been grown 130 years ago, what with differences between fertilizers, amount of pollution in the air and water, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/8 "2011-09-04T21:37:58Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > It’s interesting to see what was served on the RMS Titanic–[here’s a link](http://www.webtitanic.net/framemenu.html) to the menus. Some of it looks pretty familiar, but I’ve never heard of a few items. > > And interestingly, the [last First Class meal](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8607059.stm) has been recently recreated. So, if you are truly interested, Professor Bricker, you may not need your Wayback Machine–just ask the chef in the linked news item if he has any plans for future Titanic meals. One thing that shows is the evolution of marketing. You’d never see a ship or plane ticket today billed as “third class,” they’d definitely come up with some much better sounding euphemism (Titanic Royal Club Class). And no matter how cheaply you wanted to serve the peons, you’d find a way to describe their supper options as something other than “gruel.” Another thing that jumped out at me is just how thoroughly kidneys as a common breakfast dish have fallen out of favor. Were they really that popular? Whose idea was that? I’ve never seen them on offer even in England, and the recent head-to-tail eating trend has done a lot better job of gettin liver and sweetbreads back into the mainstream or near it than it has kidneys. Even at fancy gastro-snob places I’ve not seen many kidneys, but apparently people (or maybe just Brits) once thought nothing of throwing it on the plate next to the old shirred eggs and toast. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/9 "2011-09-04T22:07:26Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > It’s interesting to see what was served on the RMS Titanic–[here’s a link](http://www.webtitanic.net/framemenu.html) to the menus. Some of it looks pretty familiar, but I’ve never heard of a few items. > . Chicken ala Maryland? I had to look that one up as I had never heard of it. the reality is somewhat boring, unfortunately. I won’t look up cabin biscuits as it’s more fun to imagine what they might be, fried-rat skin? baked magot-meal? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/10 "2011-09-04T22:36:35Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I’m not sure, but I think the more relevant question is the taste of the ingredients, not the recipe or the menu. For example, grass-fed beef just tastes different than corn-fed, as most people realize. I wouldn’t have the first clue as to whether the lettuce we eat today would taste different if it had been grown 130 years ago, what with differences between fertilizers, amount of pollution in the air and water, and so on. Yes, this interests me. I’ve noticed that pork in the Dominican Republic from local hogs tastes different than pork from supermarkets here. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/11 "2011-09-04T22:36:48Z")
A lot of the food will seem bland to the modern palate, if for no other reason than they would have used **a lot** less sugar and salt. Heinz was in business, so there would be some processed foods available. You’re 17 years before the first pizza, however, so scratch that staple from your diet. This is the time of the boom in Italian immigration, so lots of groceries catering to them are around. The oyster beds in the bay are still producing, so shellfish is a staple. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/12 "2011-09-04T22:45:49Z")
It sounds like several people here should keep an eye out for [Heston’s Feasts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heston's_Feasts), featuring the most entertaining TV chef, Heston Blumenthal, recreating the feel of ancient dishes. As all his stuff is, it’s fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/13 "2011-09-04T22:53:07Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > How about some hospitable Oregon Trail family’s home? Not quite Oregon Trail, but some frontier-ish stuff and just about from the right time period: > **[The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic...](https://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Cookbook-Frontier-Ingalls/dp/0064460908)** > > The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories \[Walker, Barbara M, Williams, Garth\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's... I was glad to find that as the parts about syrup-tapping, sausage-making, and (especially for Almanzo, who comes across as something of a dullard whose two main interests come across as looking at his cows and indulging in various gourmandish feasts) the big meals was really interesting to me when I read the books. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/14 "2011-09-04T22:54:51Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > It sounds like several people here should keep an eye out for [Heston’s Feasts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heston's_Feasts), featuring the most entertaining TV chef, Heston Blumenthal, recreating the feel of ancient dishes. As all his stuff is, it’s fascinating. Does not appear to have aired in the U.S. but was gratified to see he’s got at least several full episodes up on youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/15 "2011-09-04T22:56:14Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > It’s interesting to see what was served on the RMS Titanic–[here’s a link](http://www.webtitanic.net/framemenu.html) to the menus. Some of it looks pretty familiar, but I’ve never heard of a few items. That’s fascinating. Especially the “breakfast, dinner, tea” of the third class versus the “breakfast, lunch, dinner” of the first and second. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/16 "2011-09-04T23:01:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > A lot of the food will seem bland to the modern palate, if for no other reason than they would have used **a lot** less sugar and salt. Heinz was in business, so there would be some processed foods available. You’re 17 years before the first pizza, however, so scratch that staple from your diet. This is the time of the boom in Italian immigration, so lots of groceries catering to them are around. The oyster beds in the bay are still producing, so shellfish is a staple. Other than Italian and Jewish, and maybe a little Chinese, there won’t be much ethnic food of any type, and probably fewer spices overall. I don’t know if this was one of the old time eras in which saloons provided free or cheap food to lure the drinkers in, but there will certainly be saloons aplenty. There’ll be a decent chance your food may be a bit off as industrialized refrigeration was not there yet (was it? 1880 probably not). For that reason, you would be a true locavore (trendy well before your time) because most everything you ate would need to be grown within a day or two’s wagon or railroad journey (exceptions for dried/salted/pickled ingredients) of wherever you find yourself. Meaning just about no fresh fruit or non-root vegetables all winter, no Alaskan salmon unless you’re in Alaska, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/17 "2011-09-05T00:43:37Z")
I think many homemade baked goods, especially fruit pies, would have tasted the same centuries ago. We eat a meal in the summertime that has been in our family for as long as anyone remembers and there’s no reason it couldn’t have been made in 1750. It goes like this: Fry some bacon or hocks in a Dutch oven, then add quartered white potatoes and let them soak up some of the grease. Put in green beans, let simmer for about an hour until everything is soft. Serve with cornbread, corn on the cob, and a plate of sliced tomatoes and green onions. Season with nothing more than salt and pepper. If you really want to go authentic, wash it down with corn liquor, or lemonade for the young 'uns. This is American food. It doesn’t have lemongrass, cayenne pepper, or fennel pollen - not that there’s anything wrong with any of those things, but it is possible to enjoy a meal without them. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/18 "2011-09-05T00:49:07Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > Other than Italian and Jewish, and maybe a little Chinese, there won’t be much ethnic food of any type, and probably fewer spices overall. German food would be possibly the most prevalent ethnic around at that time. We had a recent thread on why you have a hard time finding good, authentic German restaurants in the last 10-30 years in the US. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/19 "2011-09-05T00:51:43Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Let them foodies answer this. **samclem** Moderator ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175/20 "2011-09-05T01:11:40Z")
This is pretty much what Grant Achatz is doing with his new restaurant [Next](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_(restaurant)). > [@](#): > > Rather than stick with one type of cuisine, Next will completely change its style every few months, focusing on a different time period and part of the world. These would include Paris in 1906, Sicily in 1949, and more conceptual ideas such as Hong Kong in the future. So come to Chicago and see if you can snag a table - good luck. > [@](#): > > Unlike a traditional reservation system, in which the customer will schedule a reservation and pay after the meal, Next will sell pre-priced tickets for a specific time. There’s currently a lottery system for tickets as demand far exceeds availability. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prof-brickers-time-machine-checks-out-cuisine/595175.md?page=2)