Heather Reitze

Dining on the Chesapeake Bay Heather Reitze

In this volume, we at the Steamboat Era Museum have attempted to recreate the recipes that may have been used for the menus of two different steamship lines. Recipes, selected for their authenticity, follow both of the menus depicted in their original form. Because so many people shared vintage cookbooks, passed down through the generations or collected from estate sales and antique shops, we believe that we've come close to rendering the styles and ingredients actually used during the steamboat era. The recipes (receipts as they were sometimes called) have not been tested for the most part. Some of the older ones do not have enough information for modern cooks to proceed to a finished product. Others, such as Lamb Fries, have perhaps lost their savory appeal to the current day palate! We have also attempted to capture the nostalgia of this precious part of the country by including personal anecdotes related to memorable recipes from the childhood of some of its residents. Those recipes are more "tried and true" since they come with recommendations and reminiscence.