Old Eggnog Recipes

I love to search through old out of print recipe books and when I find the eggnog recipes our forefahers used I am doubly delighted! When I use recipes that the cooks developed in the late 1700's, 1800's and even then early 1900's I feel like I am part of a long line of cooks who wanted to feed their family and friends great food.

Eggnog recipes came over with the first European settlers. In England and other parts of Europe eggnog was the drink of the aristocrats, very seldom could the poor afford the rich ingredients. However, when the cooks emigrated to America they found that the ingredients were more available and they produced eggnog for holiday feasts. As people spread across the continent the recipes were adapted to available supplies and the individual tastes of the area. The creativeness of those early settlers gives us a bounty of great recipes.

It is fun to imagine President Lincoln being served an eggnog that Mrs. Lincoln had prepared for him. Or take a historic glance at how the southern Creole cooks prepared it for a party, and know that we can recreate these very foods for our guests and family.

Most of the old recipes used uncooked eggnog and alcohol of one sort or another. Therefore, in todays cooking we should remember that pregnant women and children should not be served these drinks because they are more susceptable to salmonella poisoning. There has been some scientific studies on the effects of alcohol reducing the salmonella bacteria in eggnog, but I would still be very cautious. So, explore and enjoy the richness of eggnog!