While helping a client go through a few boxes of letters, journals, newspaper articles and other miscellaneous items, Kirsten Cronin of Kirsten Transcribes came across a book entitled Cooking Recipes from October 1937.  The book, written at the end of the great Depression, was owned by a family that lived in Brooklyn, New York.  Here is one of the recipes – reproduced just as it was written at that time.  What do you think the ‘flavouring’ was?

Bread and Butter Pudding

5 or 6 slices of bread and butter
3 ounces currants or raisins (less than ½ cup)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 pint milk
1 egg
Flavouring

Pare the crusts thinly off the bread and cut in small slices. Lay these in a greased pie dish, putting the currants or raisins here and there between the layers. Boil the milk. Add sugar and flavouring and remove from the fire.  Add to the beaten egg, stirring constantly and then pour the custard over the bread and butter in pie dish and allow the pudding to soak for half an hour before placing in the oven. Bake in a slow (300°) oven for about half an hour or until it is nicely wet and pale brown in colour!

The above is printed with permission from the family of Doris Prowler Lebow.

MF&L Staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.