✨ Recipe of the Month ✨
Step back in time and savor the flavors that tell a story.
Each month, we dust off a cherished recipe from Texas kitchens of days gone by and bring it to life for today’s table. Think cornbread hash sizzling in a cast‑iron skillet, stews rich with garden greens, or barbecue kissed with vinegar mops — dishes that fed families, fueled communities, and became traditions worth keeping. Our Recipe of the Month isn’t just food; it’s a delicious piece of history you can taste, share, and celebrate. Come hungry for heritage, and leave inspired to cook it yourself!
This spotlight invites you to savor a story on every plate, whether it’s a time-honored family recipe or a fresh creation inspired by local harvests. By featuring one special recipe, we honor the cooks who came before us and inspire the next generation to keep culinary heritage alive. Come taste the journey, and let this month’s recipe spark your own kitchen adventures.
Heritage Dishes from Days Gone By
Recipes from Texans in the 1800s emphasized the use of locally sourced ingredients such as corn, pork, and garden vegetables. This resulted in traditional dishes like cornmeal mush, hoecakes, crackling bread, and “kush,” which is a type of cornbread hash. Cooks also prepared stews featuring greens and pot liquor, utilized animal parts that were considered undesirable by others for recipes like menudo, and created a unique method of low-and-slow barbecue that incorporated vinegar-based mops.
In the following section, we will highlight a selection of those cherished recipes from days gone by.
- 1800s Salt Pork
Based on historical records, recipes for salt pork in 19th-century Texas were not formally documented for enslaved people, whose meals depended on provisions and scraps from the plantation owner. Salt pork was a key component of their diet, providing fat, protein, and flavor when paired with cornmeal and foraged or cultivated vegetables. The preparation methods emphasized reducing salt, using scraps creatively, and maximizing flavor and nutrition from limited resources. Preparing salt pork on… Read more: 1800s Salt Pork - 1800s Souther-Style Sweet Potato Pone
To make an authentic 1800s-style soul food sweet potato dish, the best option is a sweet potato pone. This rustic, crustless pudding was developed by enslaved African Americans using the ingredients and tools they had access to, long before modern luxuries like ovens and abundant processed sugar were available. The recipe below is adapted from “300 years of Black Cooking in St. Mary’s County” and features a rich, dense texture. A simpler method—a roasted sweet… Read more: 1800s Souther-Style Sweet Potato Pone - 1800s Texas-Style Cornbread Recipe
Based on historical cooking methods, a 19th-century Texas cornbread recipe would feature a high ratio of cornmeal to wheat flour, contain no sugar, and be cooked in a cast-iron skillet with hot bacon grease. These ingredients reflect the culinary traditions of early Texas settlers, who adapted Native American recipes to create a hearty frontier staple. This recipe from early Texas foodways captures the essence of how cornbread was prepared on cattle drives and in… Read more: 1800s Texas-Style Cornbread Recipe
