“Mound of Butter,” Antoine Vollon, c. 1875-1885. National Gallery of Art.
Image Citation. https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.75030.html.
When reading vintage recipes, it is important to remember that access to ingredients varied (and varies) wildly based on the person who was writing, therefore “margarine” or “shortening” may be used instead of butter because it was cheaper. Below is a table of ingredients that may or may not be familiar to readers, either for a different spelling, reference by brand, or types of ingredients that no longer exist in their original form. The far right column lists “Modern Equivalents” or substitutions; if that specific section is blank, it means that the ingredient is currently available in its original form and it is necessary to use as is.
| Ingredient | Description | Modern Equivalents |
| Alum | Potassium aluminum sulfate, an additive that helps maintain crispness when pickling or canning | Alum Powder |
| Baker’s Chocolate | A specific brand of baking chocolate, marked with rows of squares | |
| B.P. or B. Powder | Baking powder | |
| Crisco | A specific brand of shortening, made from vegetable oil | Crisco, Vegetable Oil |
| Dark Karo Syrup | A specific brand of corn syrup, containing molasses | Dark Corn Syrup, Molasses |
| Fat | Any type of fat, chosen by the baker | |
| Graham Flour | A specific type of course-ground whole wheat flour made by grinding the entire wheat kernel | Graham Flour, Unrefined Whole Wheat Flour |
| Lard | Animal fat, usually pork fat | Lard, Butter, Vegetable Oil |
| Mace | A type of spice, similar to nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice | |
| Margarine | Substitute for butter made from vegetable oil | Margarine, Vegetable Oil, Butter |
| Meal | Most likely referring to cornmeal | Cornmeal, Course Wheat Flour |
| Nut “Meat” | The inner part of nuts; remove the shell or other hard outer coating before using | |
| Oleo | Another term for margarine | Margarine, Vegetable Oil, Butter |
| Rumford | A specific brand of baking powder | Baking powder |
| Scalded Milk | Milk that has been heated to 180° F (just before boiling) then cooled to 110° F (this kills any bacteria, so it was useful before pasteurization) | |
| Soda | Baking soda | |
| Sour Milk | Literal sour milk, or slightly spoiled milk (before refrigeration, milk commonly “soured” before it could be consumed) | Buttermilk |
| Suet | A specific type of saturated fat, typically taken from beef, lamb or mutton from the area around the kidneys | Suet, Vegetable Shortening |
| Sweet Milk | Raw milk, or regular milk, because it still contains lactose | Whole milk |
| Tokay Grapes | A specific variety of grape | |
| Wesson Oil | A specific brand of plant-based cooking oil | Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil |
| White Corn Syrup | Corn syrup containing vanilla and salt | White Corn Syrup, Mixture of Sugar and Water |
| “XXXX” Flour | Very fine flour | Pastry Flour, 00 Flour |
| “XXXX” Sugar | Very fine sugar | Superfine / Extra Fine Sugar |