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Jersey City And Its Historic Sites

By Harriet Phillips Eaton
Published 1899

This Web version, edited by GET NJ
COPYRIGHT 2002

Early Dutch Recipes

One peculiar custom among the Bergen Dutch, handed down from generations even to recent times, has been that the masculine head of the family always cut the smoked beef (a never failing dish) and the bread. Formerly the bread was baked in large loaves in yellow earthen dishes in a brick oven, and put upon the table uncut, then as each person wished a slice the head of the house, holding the bread against his breast, cut off a portion. Generally they lived very plainly; saeurkraut, which was such a favorite dish among the Mohawk Valley and Albany Dutch, seems to have been almost unknown here. Pound cake was a favorite recipe and in the early part of this century the Communipaw housewives carried their butter and eggs to certain bakers in Greenwich street, New York, to have their pound cake baked for them. Their recipe for crullers was very similar with the addition of a little more flour. In all well regulated houses Oley Koecks were indispensable; there was quite a difference in the way of making them, some recipes are plain doughnuts of raised bread dough, sweetened and spiced only. The following is a more elaborate recipe of 1750:

One pint of milk, one cup fresh yeast, flour to make a stiff batter, mix at night; in the morning add five eggs, two cups of sugar, one cup of shortening, (half butter and half lard), one teaspoonful soda, flour to make like bread dough, let stand until light, which will be two or three hours; have ready chopped apples sweetened and flavored with nutmeg and raisins ; roll out and cut in pieces about four inches square, place a tablespoonful of apple on each square, double over and pinch together, drop in hot lard to fry. In the old recipes pearlash is used, in these the modern term soda and baking powder have been substituted. The early settlers made their own pearlash by burning either corn cobs or a bit of wood, often birch or maple, on the hearth, and from the clean ashes put in water obtained the carbonate of potash desired.

The following recipes are also handed down from the early Dutch housewives:

Jumbles (Koeckjes): One pound of flour, one half pound of sugar, less than half pound of butter, three eggs, four tablespoons sweet milk, one teaspoon saleratus.

Dried Biscuits (Old Dutch): Take one and a half pints warm milk, one cake compressed yeast, one teaspoonful salt and flour enough to make a sponge. When light, which will probably be in half an hour, add one-fourth pound of butter, and knead with flour to about the consistency of bread. Let rise again and then mould each biscuit in two parts, putting one on the top of another, that they may be broken open more easily. Put in pans and let rise before baking. When baked break open and put in the warming oven until thoroughly dried.

Soft Waffles (Old Dutch): One quart of milk, make a batter with flour, raise with yeast, when light add four eggs one-quarter pound of melted butter and a little salt. Beat all together, let rise again, and add half a cup of sugar. , Eat with sauce.
Old waffle irons with initials of early owners and the date are still in existence; one has A. D. 1709.

Fried Spack and Opples: Take slices of pickled pork, fry them well, then take slices of apple and fry in the hot fat; if the apples are sour, put a little molasses or brown sugar over them, when the apples are brown, turn over and brown on the other side; serve with the slices of pork laid around the edge of dish. If the apples are sweet, do not use sweetening.

Mince Pie (Old Dutch): Seven bowls chopped tart apples, three bowls chopped meat, seven pounds of sugar, one gallon cider (not sweet), seven nutmegs, four tablespoonsful cinnamon, two tablespoonsful cloves, two pounds of raisins, one pound of currants, one pound of citron, salt and pepper.

Buling Pudding (Old Dutch): Four quarts of water, let it come to a boil. Add one pint of rice, two cups of sugar, one-fourth pound of cinnamon, one tablespoonful of salt, and buckwheat enough to make a very stiff batter. Boil half an hour. Put in pie dishes and when cold cut in slices and fry.

Buckwheat Pudding (Old Dutch): Have one quart of water boiling. Mix two cups of buckwheat meal to a smooth batter with cold water; stir this mixture into the boiling water ; add to this one slice of raw, fat salt pork chopped fine, one cupful of sugar, one teaspoonful each of ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon and salt. Simmer one hour, stirring frequently. Pour into a deep dish to cool. When cool this will leave the dish easily if sufficiently cooked. Slice, fry brown and serve with powdered sugar.
These two puddings recipes are still used in Holland.

Table of Contents

Jersey City History
Your Ancestors' Story Asbury Park
Bruce Springsteen's Jersey Shore Rock Haven!

The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and The Central Railroad Terminal
Visit Liberty State Park!

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