It was the original frontier foods outdoor cooking utensil of preference, carried by early trappers, explorers, cowboys and settlers and of necessity, became their most essential piece of equipment. The authentic Dutch oven was, and still is, a heavy cast iron kettle or pot with a cast iron lid. Good ol’ Dutch Oven cookin' dates back to the frontier days, some 200 hundred years ago. Cooking frontier foods was mostly done over open fires in Dutch ovens or skillets (fryin pans), griddles and ‘stewers’ (stew pots or, boilin pots). Even though the chuck wagon cook carried his favorite seasonins and condiments, he also depended on gatherin a certain amount of his favorite herbs and baking ingredients, such as sage, acorns, nuts, buckwheat, etc., that is, if they were available. Seasonally, she would take advantage of various edible greens and wild fruits such as ‘muskidines (a wild grapes) and elderberries. Besides generally havin constant supply of beef, sometimes, she might add different meats fresh off the fat of the land rabbit, venison, wild turkey, squirrel, duck, grouse, quail, etc. It depended on the resourcefulness of the cook to make do with what she had and make it apetizin. Around the ranch house, underground dugouts and coolers were also used to help preserve various foods. In the early days, most frontier food storage relied on curing with salt, brine, picklin or dehydration. Regional favorites were carried west such as Virginia ham, Louisiana Creole, Tennessee Barbecue, and Boston Baked Beans. Most frontier foods were reminiscent of the "old World", with English and European flavor. Although "new fangled" discoveries such as vacuum packed meats (Hormel was already making an early version of Spam!) and Borden's sweetened condensed milk, the settlers were often poor and without access to such frontier foods luxury. Of course there were no supermarkets, meat counters, or washed and shiny produce for these frontier folks. With no refrigeration, frontier foods either had to have a long shelf life or be available when ever families stopped to eat. Welcome to "Frontier Foods", a look at cowboy cuisine in the late 1800's.Ĭooking was anything but easy for the early western frontier settler. Preparing & Cooking Food in the Old West FRONTIER FOODS
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