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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Chow Dining In the New Economy

Posted by on Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 12:06 PM

No, not raccoon... Gruel!

The BBC reports that the Royal Society of Chemistry reconstructed the Victorian-era recipe for gruel, as described in Oliver Twist. Taste-testers described the concoction, which contained onions, milk, oats and water, as "extremely bland," but an RSC spokesman told the BBC, "We were hoping [the RSC cook] would make it much more disgusting."

Here's a recipe for "Water-Gruel," from the Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, 1796:

You must take a pint of water and a large spoonful of oatmeal; then stir it together and let it boil up three or four times, stirring it often; do not let it boil over; then strain it through a sieve, salt it to your palate, put in a good piece of fresh butter, brew it with a spoon til the butter is all melted, then it will be fine and smooth, and very good: som love a little pepper in it.

 

Comments (11) RSS

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1
I think I'd rather eat squirrels.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on January 15, 2009 at 12:34 PM
2
What would they have done with the strained oats?
Posted by w7ngman on January 15, 2009 at 12:35 PM
3
Yeah. We call it "oatmeal".
Posted by Fnarf on January 15, 2009 at 12:38 PM
4
#3, they couldn't feed that to the orphans? Those poor, poor orphans.
Posted by w7ngman on January 15, 2009 at 12:57 PM
5
how can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?
Posted by tat man on January 15, 2009 at 1:14 PM
6
http://www.godecookery.com/engrec/engrec…

Here's another method with Currans and Faggots!
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on January 15, 2009 at 1:14 PM
7
It's good with honey, cinnamon, or brown sugar.
Posted by N on January 15, 2009 at 1:15 PM
8
You could also eat your own hair. But the worst thing about prison was...the DEMENTORS!
Posted by Michael Scott on January 15, 2009 at 1:22 PM
9
Poverty's breakfast bar.
Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale on January 15, 2009 at 1:33 PM
10
If you do it right and you're actually really hungry, it's quite tasty.

No, seriously.
Posted by Will in Seattle on January 15, 2009 at 1:43 PM
11
So... it's onion oatmeal. I've eaten weirder things, and liked them.
Posted by Greg on January 15, 2009 at 4:01 PM

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