We know that there were no leaveners used by Native cooks. We also know they sun dried many foods for later use, so dried strawberries are a plausible ingredient since there is period documentation that strawberries grew wild in New England.
I am taking an educated guess here and assuming we are looking at some kind of corn pancake that was called “bread” by the English.
One clue was found in a 1795 document where a Mr. Timothy Alden described an “ash baked” maize food called Appoon. Supposedly this ash-baked bread was made using dried oak bark because the bread would not stick to it. (You could cook it on the oak bark and easily remove it when it was done.)
I also hear that thin soapstone “griddles” were possibly used in this time period for pancake-style cooking, as well as thin pottery griddles.
Shown following is my interpretation of a stove or fire top pottery dish and cover for “baking” experimental Appoon. I meant to try it last year, but just didn’t find the time.
Instructions for food-safe pottery making are found in The American Patriot’s Treasury of Historical Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas, Second Edition.
You certainly don’t have to go to the lengths I have gone to re-create a strawberry Appoon, but if you decide to experiment and are successful, please share with us here at IdeasThanksgiving.com. I can be reached by email at Victorian [@] LetsPlayHistory.org.
Thank you, and have fun!
Tags: experiments in kitchen, historical food, thanksgiving side ideas, thanksgiving dishes ideas, activities with food
Hand-made stove-top clay dish with cover. Can also be used over hot coals. Instructions for making and using food safe pottery are in the Historical Thanksgiving guide.
Tags: activities with food, experiments in kitchen, historical food, Ideas Thanksgiving, thanksgiving dishes ideas, thanksgiving side ideas
Posted September 3, 2009 by Admin under Food
