The Spirit of Seventy-Six!
In honor of the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, all recipes through August 16, 2026 have been from Centennial and Bicentennial cookbooks and the 1796 first American cookbook. Enjoy this look at the (gastronomic) spirit of ’76 as we enjoy the sestercentennial!
I’ve also published a Sestercentennial Cookery with recipes and photos.
Nowadays when we think of ketchup, we think specifically of tomato ketchup, but there’s a reason it usually still has the qualifier of being tomato. Ketchup, or catsup as this recipe calls it, was commonly made from all sorts of things, from tomatoes to mushrooms to oysters, even often using horseradish.
I have to use this hot pepper catsup very sparingly, but it is a wonderful ketchup for burgers, for adding a bit of spice to a stew or soup, or even for mixing with sour cream or yogurt as the base for a chip dip.
It’s very hot for what I’ve been led to believe people ate in 1916, but the original recipe specifically calls for green peppers (the hot variety).
Dinner is never served until everyone present has at least three drinks. — Carl Randall (Life, Loves, and Meat Loaf)