Colonial Foodways

What Would You Have Eaten
in the 1700s?

The answer would vary depending on your social status — a slave’s diet was rather different than a wealthy person’s diet. While the main food ingredients were the same for all social classes, what you added for flavor may have differed. For example, most colonial people ate some type of corn cake. But if you had extra money, you might be able to add sugar, butter, and spices to your recipe. You may be surprised to learn that colonial cooks could prepare just about everything we eat today — including ice cream! They cooked foods by frying, roasting, baking, grilling, and boiling just like we do in our homes.

Today we know it is very important to eat a balanced meal. During the 1700s, common meals included pork, beef, lamb, fish, shellfish, chicken, corn, beans and other vegetables, fruits, and numerous baked goods. Corn and either pork or beef were the staples in most lower and middle class households. Dinner for these groups usually consisted of a stew made from dry or fresh vegetables and a piece of pork, and a starch such as corncake or corn pone. Fish was also a frequent dish in lower income households because it was inexpensive (or free) and offered a good source of protein. Living near the South River or the Chesapeake Bay, lowers sorts including servants and slaves, were able to fish, crab, and catch foods directly from the water.

If you think about it, “American” food is really a blending of different cultures reflecting the diverse groups of people who have come to America over time. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, enslaved people brought many cooking traditions and ingredients with them. Slow-cooked stews, deep-frying techniques, and vegetarian dishes are just a few examples of the foodways of enslaved people here in Maryland. New ingredients brought to the colonies from Africa eventually became staples in the diets of Americans both enslaved and free. Some African ingredients brought to the colonies include collard greens, black-eyed peas, peanuts, sweet potatoes, yams, cassava, kidney and lima beans, watermelon, rice, okra, sorghum, millet, pineapples, chili peppers and sesame seeds. In many places in Africa it was common to slow cook stews and porridges. Enslaved people continued to cook foods in these familiar ways once they arrived in the colonies. Slow cooking stews in a single pot did not require much work or attention. It was a very convenient way for the enslaved to prepare meals as they often worked from home for most of the day and were unable to tend to the fire back at their quarters. Perhaps even more important, an enslaved woman could stretch a small meat ration by cooking it into a stew with vegetables and grains. Slow cooked stews and soups were also common meals for other lower sorts people.

Food rations for servants and slaves varied from owner to owner and from plantation to plantation. A slave’s rations were often insufficient to sustain a healthy life. Most surviving documents listing slave rations include pork as a main food. Depending on a slave’s status and job, their rations included from one-half to five pounds of meat (usually pork) per week. Think about that, their week’s supply of meat equaled the same amount of meat we use today in just one hamburger! To survive, many enslaved people found ways to supplement their diets. Some planters allowed their slaves to hunt and fish so the owners could provide less. To help improve their diets, slaves frequently planted gardens around their quarters.