If you could go back and sit down to dinner in 1776, the scene would probably look far more practical and lived-in than the polished Colonial Williamsburg reenactment most of us have in our minds. The table might have dense slices of cake made sticky by dried fruit, or bowls of long-simmered stew and greens softened in hot fat. Cornmeal mush would be steaming near the fire while savory pies baked somewhere nearby. If your host was wealthy enough to show off a little, there may even be a tureen of turtle soup on the table. And somewhere nearby, almost certainly, there is alcohol.
Revolution is thirsty work.
Colonial American cooking was practical because it had to be. Refrigeration didn’t exist, roads were rough, and winters could feel endless. Meat spoiled quickly, fresh ingredients changed constantly with the seasons, and much of early American food was built around one central question: How do we keep this edible longer than three days? But the food itself was far from joyless. The flavors were rich, heavily spiced, buttery and often surprisingly elegant, shaped by European traditions, Indigenous ingredients, and the realities of cooking in an entirely new landscape.
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, here are some of the dishes that might have appeared on a 1776 menu—some comforting, some genuinely strange, and a few that deserve another shot.
Election Cake
Americans have apparently been stress-baking through elections since the 1700s.
Election cake was especially popular in New England, where communities gathered for long, crowded voting days that involved travel, taverns, speeches and enough socializing to require enormous amounts of food. According to Reader’s Digest, women in Connecticut baked these to help sustain men traveling to the polls.
These were not delicate little snack cakes. Election cake was heavy with dried fruit, warming spices and often whiskey or brandy, placing it somewhere in the neighborhood of fruitcake and spice bread. It was the kind of sturdy baked good capable of surviving both a muddy carriage ride and several hours of political debate.
I guess the colonists enjoyed their carbs even in 1776!
Brunswick Stew
Modern Brunswick stew usually contains chicken or pulled pork. Colonial Brunswick stew was considerably wilder.
Early southern versions often included squirrel meat (I’ll pass, thank you!) simmered with tomatoes, lima beans, corn and okra. Both Virginia and Georgia claim ownership of the dish, though the earliest versions were less about state pride and more about whatever happened to be running through the woods that week.
The interesting thing is that, apart from the squirrel, Brunswick stew still feels remarkably familiar. It’s smoky, slow-cooked and hearty, and it’s still tied to regional ingredients just like Southern cuisine. Corn, tomatoes and beans—all ingredients heavily shaped by Indigenous agriculture—became foundational to colonial cooking.
Thank goodness modern cooks have stopped putting squirrels in it…or let’s hope so!
Wilted Salad
Wilted salad sounds rustic until you realize warm greens dressed with sharp acid and rich fat are still the backbone of half the appetizers at modern farm-to-table restaurants.
Colonial versions usually involved sturdy garden greens tossed with softened onions, mustard, vinegar or lemon and often some form of warm animal fat. Which, frankly, sounds delicious.
This is one of the clearest reminders that colonial food was not all beige mush and aggressively preserved meat. There were fresh herbs, garden vegetables and bright acidic flavors woven throughout daily cooking whenever the season allowed for it.
Succotash
Traditionally made with corn, beans and sometimes squash, succotash originated in Native communities long before European settlers arrived. Colonial Americans adopted the dish quickly, which makes sense given that corn appears everywhere in early American cooking.
Corn appears constantly across colonial cooking because settlers quickly realized Indigenous crops and agricultural knowledge were far better adapted to the local landscapes than the European traditions they arrived with.
Today, succotash still feels like the sort of dish that typifies the season: sweet corn at its peak, tender beans and fresh herbs melting into the mix, and the faint feeling that summer is starting to slip away.
Mush or Hasty Pudding
The dish was made by stirring spoonfuls of cornmeal into boiling milk until the mixture was
thick and hearty. It was inexpensive, filling, and adaptable depending on the season and household. Poorer families might eat it plain, while wealthier tables added butter, cream and/or sweeteners.
A colonial breakfast table would have smelled like a combination of smoke, milk warming near the hearth, and cornmeal thickening slowly in a pot. And that honestly sounds pretty wonderful.
Pigeon Pie
Passenger pigeons once existed in such overwhelming numbers that flocks reportedly darkened the sky for hours at a time. Colonists treated them as an endless food source because, at the time, they practically seemed to be. Which is exactly how they ended up baked into savory pies across colonial America.
Beneath the extinct-bird portion of the equation, the structure of the dish might still sound appealing to some wild game enthusiasts– rich gravy, flaky pastry, savory meat and herbs, all baked together until golden.
Hoe Cakes
Hoe cakes fall into the category of colonial foods that sound mildly insulting until you realize they are essentially crisp-edged cornmeal pancakes cooked over fire.
Like so many colonial foods, hoe cakes reflect the merging of European cooking traditions with Indigenous ingredients and techniques. They were portable, inexpensive and practical for travelers, workers and soldiers.
The name likely comes from the practice of cooking simple cornmeal batter on flat metal plates. Those flat plates were called “hoes” back in the day. Today, they’d be what we call “griddles.”
Potted Meat
Before refrigeration, preserving meat was often a matter of survival. Potted meat involved pounding cooked meat into a paste, packing it tightly into jars and sealing it beneath a thick, airtight layer of butter or lard. Apparently, properly potted meat could last for a year!
The phrase itself sounds unfortunate to modern ears—like it could refer to Victorian medicine or something discovered in the back of a camping cooler. But the actual technique is not all that different from other European preservation methods that later became considered luxury foods.
Pepper Pot Soup
Pepper pot soup was hearty, heavily seasoned, and filled with tripe–the edible stomach lining of a cow’, sheep or goat–(again, I’ll pass!) and vegetables, with an aggressively peppery broth designed to warm people through brutal winters. According to popular legend, versions of pepper pot soup were served to Continental Army troops during the Revolutionary War, though historians debate some of the finer details.
Still, the dish became woven into early American food culture and Revolutionary War lore as a staple of Philadelphia taverns. You can almost picture the room–wet wool coats steaming near the fire, muddy boots by the door, and enormous bowls of peppery soup hitting wooden tables while somebody loudly argues about tea taxes in the background.
Syllabub
Syllabub sounds less like a drink and more like the name of an exceptionally cheerful storybook rabbit. But it was, in fact, one of colonial America’s favorite beverages
The frothy punch combined whipped cream, sugar, citrus and alcohol—often wine, cider, sherry or brandy. Some recipes were especially theatrical, involving milk drawn directly from the cow and mixed with alcohol to create an airy foam—which feels completely unhinged and somehow elegant at the same time.
However, beneath the unfamiliar names and occasionally alarming preservation methods, much of colonial American food still feels recognizable. Its rich stews, buttery cakes, creamy desserts and communal meals were built around comfort, abundance and, of course, the occasional cocktail.
The ingredients have changed. The kitchens have changed. But Americans have always loved gathering around crowded tables with something hearty on the stove and dessert waiting nearby.
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North and South. Yankee and Rebel. Union and Confederate.
In the midst of the Civil War, can two hearts come together?
When the tide of war sweeps south and the Union Army invades and destroys the Georgia cotton mill where Kate Brodie is a nurse, not only is her livelihood destroyed but she’s branded a traitor and shipped northward with the other workers. Only the unlikely attention of a Yankee major makes the trip tolerable.
Union major, Griffin Fletcher loathes the part of his job that requires him to destroy homes, towns, and livelihoods of innocent civilians. But he’s sworn to uphold the Union at all costs. Yet, he vows to protect these women he’s been ordered to transport to Marietta. Especially the one whose fiery determination, proud stance, and soft heart draws him closer.
Determined to remain in the South, Kate makes a daring leap of faith to nurse wounded Yankee soldiers, never expecting Major Fletcher to be one of her patients. Along with his healing, they each faced the fears and prejudices that had brought them together.
With survival so tenuous, can faith help them find love in the midst of so much tragedy?
Throughout 250 years of American history, a well-loved locket finds its way into the hands of eight spirited heroines—each standing at the crossroads of love and destiny, and each inspired by a true patriot. As it journeys from one heart to the next, these stories unfold with sweet romance, unwavering hope, and a deep love of country, proving that even in uncertain times, love is always worth the risk. Start reading the Petticoats & Patriots series today!
To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!
Wonderful compilation of colonial foods.
OOO I would love to try some of these. Thanks
Interesting look at colonial foods… some appeal, some not so much, but it sure is fascinating to learn what was considered tasty back then. Thanks for all this good information, Jo-Ann!
How interesting, Jo-Ann!!!
What an interesting article. Thank you for sharing.
Most of these I have never heard of but some I have actually eaten. Not in the same dishes you described but I have eaten squirrel and tripe. My brothers always hunted rabbits and squirrels and Mama would clean them and fry them, good eating. She also battered and fried tripe. Daddy loved that. I also remember cans of potted meat which I am not a fan of. There were seven of us children so guess we ate LOL
Brunswick stew is good! At least, the recipe that I have of my Daddy’s!! I’ve tried Brunswick stew in some restaurants, and haven’t liked it near as well as what my Daddy made!
This is such an awesome post, Jo-Ann, and so timely! Loved the info about the food you shared. Thank you!
Thank you for the information about the food.
The hoe ales sound good! Especially if accompanied with syllabub!
Like wild rabbit, squirrel actually tastes very good at least to me. My dad was a rabbit hunter and occasionally would bring home a squirrel which my mom would fry. Lots of interesting information in this post. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for an interesting post. I was not familiar with election cake, but it is similar to some other recipes I have made or heard of. I had not known how potted meat was made and preserved. Interesting. I used to have it every so often, but haven’t for years. It seems too salty to me now. Mush I am familiar with, but I never realized the relationship with Hasty Pudding. We have added honey or molasses to corn meal mush which I guess makes it hasty pudding of sorts. My husband’s aunt had a fit when he added milk and sugar. They ate it southerner with have butter and salt. Obviously pigeon pie has not been on the menu, but I have had other meat pies. We have made Brunswick stew. No squirrel but we have made it with rabbit. Hearty stews re a favorite. I have heard of Syllabub, but not yet had any. As strong as the stream of milk is from a cow, it would froth the milk and alcoholic beverage very nicely.
I hope you have an enjoyable 4th.
wrat a vtreat post, Lots of interesting info on 1776 American foods. I have only heard of the pigeon pie. I have never heard of the rest before and most I probably wouldn’t mind eating except for the Potted meat that just sounds so nasty,eak. I hope you had a nice 4th of July
It should be what a great post, I changed it several time and keep changing it to wrat a vtreat. Sorry about that.