Fried Cabbage from 1883... Not for us.

Welcome back, friends, to another Sunday morning episode of The Old Cookbook Show! Today, we’re exploring a fascinating recipe from "The Housekeeper’s New Cookbook" published in 1883. This historic cookbook, compiled by an Ohio resident, is filled with practical recipes and household tips. Today, we’re diving into the art of making Fried Cabbage – a simple yet intriguing dish.

Join us as we take a trip back in time, discussing meal planning from the 1800s and adapting the recipe to modern tastes. We’ll show you how to fry cabbage with a dash of bacon grease, red pepper, and a touch of baking soda for that unique texture and flavour. Ever wondered why baking soda is used in cooking? We’ll explain in this recipe.

Watch us cook, taste, and tweak this classic dish, and find out if this 1883 recipe stands the test of time. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more vintage recipes and cooking adventures!

FRIED CABBAGE.
1 head of cabbage, chopped fine,
1 cup of good bacon grease,
1 or ½ a pint of boiling water,
1 teaspoonful of soda,
2 teaspoonfuls of sugar,
½ a pod of red pepper,
Salt to suit the taste.
Fry in a skillet, stirring occasionally, until brown, Mrs. J. T., Dublin Depot,

Discount code to be used at checkout: GLENANDFRIENDSCOOKING

Join this channel to get access to perks:

This channel is nothing without you our viewers! Thanks for watching the Old Cookbook Show and our Historical Cooking.
#LeGourmetTV #GlenAndFriendsCooking

[GlenAndFriendsCooking]

Thanks for all the comments - Contrary to those who have left expletive filled comments (those get deleted, and are never seen here), or who have sent me expletive filled emails, or even those special people who have found out my phone number and send me threatening texts this morning...

I know how to make fried cabbage, and I love it.

My being a 'Northerner' has nothing to do with what was going on here. I was simply following a recipe from the 1800s, to show how our views on food changes over time. This is not my recipe, I'm old but not that old.

So relax, tone down the rhetoric - this is just an exploration of food. I'm sure your Southern Grandma made great fried cabbage; but guess what - so did mine.

[MrRobinGoodhand]

I just love Julie's initial reaction, she is being very diplomatic!!

[annl.]

I'm irish and bacon and cabbage here is pretty much our national dish. If you are using the very green tough outer leaves of the new cabbage then the older generation would throw a little baking soda in the water to tenderise it and take the more sulphur-ish flavour out of it.. we would boil the cabbage, and then fry it afterwards but the baking soda was only used in the boiling process. I suspect this might be a badly explained recipe. I've never seen fried cabbage that colour anywhere. Otherwise the recipe isn't anything strange to me, it would still be a normal enough use for leftovers...

[karenmiddleton]

I can’t believe that people would send you disparaging remarks about your interpretation of a centuries old recipe. I love your videos, even though I may not like the recipe, but that is the whole point. Thank you

[TwoDollsNotThirty]

Even if you gave me a million guesses on what Fried cabbage tastes like, I never would have guessed reminiscent of pretzels 😂

[virginiablasi]

I love the dead silence as you both tasted it. Lack of a reaction speaks volumes.

[randallthomas]

I make it with the bacon and fry the bacon until it is crispy, remove the bacon and toss in the cabbage, with onion and apple as optional add ins, cook until the cabbage is tender, and add back crumbled bacon to top before serving with riced potatoes. My grandmothers winter staple, because all the ingredients, cabbage, apple, and onion survive through the winter just fine in a root cellar, at an off grid ranch. If the chickens had started laying it was served with fried eggs. Also works with sausage, ham or fresh pork.

[robviousobviously]

chopped cabbage & onions, fried in a little bacon fat with salt & black pepper to taste... no red pepper... no water

[lanceharsh]

Ya know, if one didn't try things things from the past, how would we know how some things are just better now. Thanks for sharing. And better to have one person share than 1000 people share and hate. Thank you for being our lab mouse.🤠👍👍👍👍👍

[toadlord]

I can see this as a condiment similar to chow chow for use on a grilled hotdog/sausage.... though i would add some mustard seed and onion to the "mush"

[anthonymccarthy]

Just browning chopped cabbage like you would onions and or peppers is pretty good. Without the water added which would make it mushy.

[wendygervais]

My grandmother taught to use baking soda just before you serve tomato soup. It foams up and reduces the acidity. I still do it even with canned soup. Makes if a lovely foamy texture. A real must try for fun
Foams up like a root beer float lol

[ddMiles]

Using pointed cabbage (which is much milder), onions mixed in, some white wine instead of the water - that's really delicious!

[bluebirdbn]

This is a new one on me and I’ve eaten fried cabbage most of my life. I’ve never heard of adding red peppers and/or baking soda.

[JPFalcononor]

Skip the baking soda. If caramelized onion, egg noodles, and Farmers Cheese were added, you would have a great winter meal.

[MamaStyles]

Sundays videos always have a bit of nightmare fuel for me thanks to the occasional raisin recipe and this albeit without raisins did not disappoint 😂❤

[ajkurp]

Threatening texts? Whoa! Funny, I had fried cabbage for lunch today. Keep up the awesome work Glen!

[rowejon]

I used to make fried white cabbage. That and cole slaw were far better ways to prepare it than boiling.

[asdisskagen]

Holy cow! That baking soda certainly did a number on the cabbage! * Science * 😂😂😂

[garputhefork]

When the cabbage went to mush, I knew the texture wouldn't be for me... That having been said, it would be interesting to look at a history of spice usage. Like you've mentioned spices were available, but my mostly-midwestern family almost never used them in cooking. (I moved away in the 90's, and my mom had the same jar of sage--used only on Thanksgiving!--that I grew up with.)