Food: The differences between the industrial days and now
By: Lyssa Stevens
People in the industrial times needed a lot of long time carbohydrates, and lots protein to keep them functioning from dawn to night. Factory workers generally tended to eat gruel, bread, solidified porridge, mutton, seasonal fruits (apples and berries), and beer (even for the kids). These foods were loaded with the right kind of nutrients, and were relatively cheap to get for yourself and family. Foods that were uncommon back then for workers were tropical fruits, milk and dairy, and good meat. Tropical fruits were hard to find because they would have to be imported, raising the cost above what they could pay. Milk and dairy was less plentiful because all of the farmers were working in the factories, and it was hard to keep even if you somehow acquired it. Although loss of milk and dairy products can leave you with a disease called rickets. A disease that softens and weakens your bones. Nice meat was hard to keep and find if you were poor, often the best cuts went for a high price and generally sold to the richer upper class.
Nowadays, workers of low pay, and the poor in general, tend to eat cheap junk food. More of the poor rely less carbohydrates and protein and now on sugar, fat, and salt. People are more likely to go out to eat at a fast food restaurant. There are also a lot of cheap food like hot dogs, frozen burritos, ramen, and you can even get frozen personal pizzas for 99 cents. I went to New seasons and I looked around at all the food, I chose what I wanted for dinner, a pasta dish with a simple sauce of bacon, peas and onions. This cost me about 10 dollars for 8 servings. If the poor really wanted to, and had the right habits for healthy eating, then it would not be that hard to eat healthy for a relatively cheap cost.
Here is a recipe for a simple gruel, and old fashioned bread.
Gruel:
Potato Gruel
To feed 4:
4 small potatoes
8 pints of water
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp flour
Method:
Cut the potatoes into large thumb size dices.
Boil on medium heat for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water.
Add ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of white pepper.
Turn heat down to low.
While stirring, add 2 tablespoons of flour in a little at a time.
Keep stirring softly until all the flour is all dissolved and it makes thick sauce.
By now the potatoes will just be starting to loose their square shape and start to look more rounded, but still firm in the middle. The dish will turn out to be half sauce and half potatoes.
Bread:
4 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups water
3/4 tsp yeast
Not a lot to it. Bread making is 10% recipe and 90% technique. Sugar, oil, eggs and milk can cause breads to get stale faster, an old style country bread is the kind one might find in a paper bag or basket on the kitchen counter.
Lets get started on our technique. You will need to mix together the salt and the flour in a large mixing bowl. Then make a well in the middle of this mixture and put the yeast in it. Next you will need 2 cups of 75 degree water. This doesn't sound like it will be warm enough since you are used to 110-115 degrees for regular bread. This is just warm enough to activate the yeast and will make sure that your bread rises slowly. Next pour this water into the well and mix until the yeast dissolves,then start mixing in the rest of the flour. This will be sticky to the touch but don't add more flour or you won't get anything but heavy regular bread. The dough will be less sticky after it has been kneaded a bit. After you have the flour all mixed up, turn it out on a very lightly floured bread board. If you do not have a bread board, dampen your counter and sprinkle flour over it, then lightly smooth the excess flour to one side.
Kneading old style country bread is a bit different then regular bread in that you don't use the palms of your hands, instead you will stretch and fold the dough. This is best done by taking out any anger you might be harboring on your dough. Pick it up and throw it down, fold it over and slap it down on the counter some more. Keep doing this for about five minutes then cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it and your arms rest for five minutes. Repeat the kneading for another five minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic by now. Cover up the dough and let rise for exactly forty-five minutes, no longer. After forty-five minutes have passed, knead the dough for five minutes again, then let it rise for forty-five minutes again. You will need to repeat this one more time. Make sure the room that you are rising the dough in is at least 70 degrees, and not nore then 75 degrees.
While waiting for the last rising, you will need to prepare a baking stone for the final loaf rising. If you don't have a baking stone, a baking sheet will do. Sprinkle some of the cornmeal on it. Then divide the dough in half and form into the desired loaf shape. Place the loaves on your baking sheet or stone and cover with a cloth to let rise for an hour and a half. You can make slits in the loaves just before baking.
While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a shallow, empty roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven when you preheat the oven. Put the loaves in the oven and add 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan. Close the door quickly and bake for fifteen minutes, without peeking. The water will create steam that will keep the loaves from breaking open. After fifteen miutes, turn the temperature down to 425 degrees for thirty minutes or until hollow when tapped.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool completely. If you give in to the temptation to eat it hot from the oven, you will surely miss out on the flavor and texture that is formed from cooling the bread completely. Herbs and different flours can be used and enjoyed. You are only limited by your imagination. If your first try doesn't come out just right, please try again, you won't be disappointed. Good luck.
Watch the video of me making a simple potato gruel! : )
