Why Civil War soldiers were served bread pudding in military hospitals
In short: Max Miller recreates a bread pudding recipe featured in the 1862 Hospital Steward's Manual. While modern hospital food rarely resembles this dish, this historical recipe offers a glimpse into the culinary standards of American Civil War medical care.
The 1862 Hospital Steward's Manual included bread pudding as a standard dish, a surprising inclusion given contemporary associations with hospital fare. The recipe relies on simple, accessible ingredients: whole milk, breadcrumbs, eggs, currants, sugar, and aromatics like cinnamon and lemon peel.
Preparation requires steaming the mixture in a buttered mould or pan for one hour. The process involves infusing the milk with spices, combining it with breadcrumbs, and steaming the batter in a water bath, a method that highlights the resourcefulness required in 19th-century institutional cooking.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Civil War Bread Pudding
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