Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Could we spend a little time away from the murders and talk about the Bordens' diet and meals? Has anyone ever eaten mutton or swordfish? What about molasses cookies or Johnny cakes? I've never eaten mutton myself, and the fly in the mutton broth in the Elizabeth Montgomery TV movie put me off even more!

What do you think the family had in the way of refrigeration? What vegetables did they eat, and who do you think did the cooking? Let's spend some time in the Borden kitchen.

The Bordens had an "icebox" of some sort, Bridget testified that she put the pan out for the ice man that morning. This consisted of an insulated metal/wood box with a place for a block of ice in it. A pan was put under to catch the run off water.

I suppose with no refrigerators that was better than nothing. The milk was probably unpasteurised and delivered as was by the dairy. I can't imagine Bridget boiling it to rid the milk of germs. Tubercular cows were apparently a problem in the 19th century.

Curryong wrote:Could we spend a little time away from the murders and talk about the Bordens' diet and meals? Has anyone ever eaten mutton or swordfish? What about molasses cookies or Johnny cakes? I've never eaten mutton myself, and the fly in the mutton broth in the Elizabeth Montgomery TV movie put me off even more!

What do you think the family had in the way of refrigeration? What vegetables did they eat, and who do you think did the cooking? Let's spend some time in the Borden kitchen.

I've eaten mutton prepared by Rochester Methodist Hospital kitchens (Mayo Clinic) and their food is good. I didn't like the taste. Also swordfish which is okay but not in the same league with snapper or catfish or trout. Molasses cookies are wonderful if you like molasses but not for breakfast! I just cannot imagine mixing mutton broth with molasses! Johnny cakes are similar to cornbread which I like if made with creamed corn and hot peppers of your choice that is added to the corn meal. What strikes me about this meal is the oddity of the components served together. My grandparents were somewhat younger than Lizzie but still of that era. Breakfast in their homes (and they were not wealthy people) was bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, French toast, waffles, maple syrup, fresh milk...what we think of as traditional breakfast. Oranges were a treat, not something juiced for breakfast. However, applesauce was served with every meal.

Is catfish a boney fish debbie? Your grandparents' breakfasts sound delicious. I have to say that I wouldn't be hurrying downstairs for anything served at the Borden breakfast table! John Morse commented on the fact that there were bananas in a bowl on the breakfast table that Thursday, but he didn't sample any. Perhaps bananas were a bit too exotic for him!

Perhaps Jon preferred poopy pears.

Yes, they are bony fish and bottom feeders and very popular in the Mississippi River Valley. Until they get too large; then they taste "fishy"....They're farmed, too, but the fresh water fish are far better.

debbie, that is a very strange-looking fish! You can see the resemblance of its facial adornments to a cat's whiskers, of course! I suppose the Bordens wouldn't have sampled Southern fare, just fish caught in local ports. Mutton can be tough, I've heard and has quite a smell about it. I think turnips and barley were used as ingredients in mutton broth.

Apart from eggs what products would they have got from the farm, I wonder. Abby went to market, but surely they'd get some things like butter, meat, vegetables, from the farms at Swansea? What would be the point, otherwise?

Down below, guitar fish, found in Indian Ocean and South Pacific waters, firm rather sweet flesh! Actually, we eat a lot of shark in Australia, called euphemistically 'flake'. Also John Dory, which is also good eating!

We eat mutton (or lamb as it's commonly referred to) twice a year- Thanksgiving and Christmas because we have a family member who is from Australia. Before marrying, I wouldn't have eaten it.

I wonder why they were having it for breakfast? Why not make a stew with it and have it gone? I found the breakfast items that morning to be very interesting!

Hallo, MysteryReader. How lovely that you have a family member from Australia! Where are they from? I think everyone who reads about it finds the Borden meals menu very interesting and strange. Cookies for breakfast! Molasses ones too!
Andrew and Abby were from the 'waste not, want not' school of thought and there was probably a whole side of sheep to be eaten (from Andrew's Swansea farm) before the family could move on and eat something else! I've always thought (could be wrong!) that lamb is a very young sheep and mutton is the meat from a comparatively old one. I've eaten lots of lamb, but never mutton!

Hi Curryong,

My family member is from Brisbane (sp?). I didn't know the difference between the 2- how interesting! Okay, molasses cookies for breakfast sound icky but I'll admit to grabbing a couple of cookies to go with my tea in the morning for breakfast (usually if I'm in a hurry).

Okay, that would explain why they were still eating mutton for breakfast (and however many more meals). Of course, I'm glad that I live in this time because I can turn the extras into a stew and freeze for another time.

Yes, the family were ill a couple of days before the murder, vomiting etc. the heat of the day, the mutton stew probably on the turn, dodgy fish, Abby stuffing her face with cream cakes, all in the days before refrigeration! I'm glad I live in the 21st century!
So your family member is from Brisbane in sunny Queensland. Any chance of him/her joining the forum?

No, I'm afraid she wouldn't. No one in my family is as obsessed with Lizzie Borden as I am.