Back To
Blogs

Frontier Christmas: Merry Menus of the Western Front

By Sophia Ulmer

Of all the holidays, Christmas evokes the most sensory memories: bells, carols, and lively chatter of fire-warmed gatherings; the rich smells of the kitchen and distinctly festive flavors on the palate; the deep red and green of holly boughs amid constellations of little lights all a’ twinkle.

That same cherished holiday in the Old West? Well, you may find that a few things differ. Improvisation was key for frontier communities, which forged their own celebratory traditions with what the landscape offered.

From even remote regions, mountain men, government explorers, and trappers routinely attempted to gather on Dec. 25. It’s reported that the Natives who joined them called the day “The Big Eating.”

 

Homemade Barbecue Baked Beans in a Black Skillet

Planning and Preparations

For Christmas gatherings, the 1880 book “Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping” suggested a grand menu replete with clam soup, baked fish, turkey, quail, and an array of canned and fresh vegetables and baked goods—a challenging spread for the frontier, where preparation for Christmas began with the summer harvest. Families preserved fruits and vegetables to ensure they’d have ingredients for holiday fare like fruitcakes and mincemeat pies. Women spent weeks stocking the pantry with enough pies, breads and cakes for the season. Laura Ingalls Wilder described the preparations: “Ma was busy all day long, cooking good things for Christmas. She baked salt-rising bread and rye’n’Injun bread, Swedish crackers, and a huge pan of baked beans, with salt pork and molasses.”

 

Meats and Mains

Demonstrating where resourcefulness meets tradition, Christmas feasts on the frontier often included preserved and locally sourced foods including dehydrated meats and jerky. The centerpiece of the holiday meal often featured fresh game such as venison and bison. In the absence of wild turkey, settlers substituted goose, duck, quail, pigeon, or prairie hen when poultry was served. For an occasion like a holiday, folks sometimes prepared a bonafide delicacy of the West: buffalo tongue.

 

Sweets

Families saved sugar for weeks to bake an assortment of cakes and pies, candies like chocolate drops, and molasses cookies. These Christmas confections—alongside plum puddings, made early and aged to perfection—lined the pantry as the big day approached.

Lillian Russell of Oklahoma remembered, “Mother would start baking days in advance and carefully place the pies and cakes in the well-house to keep cool. She never baked less than six to eight pies.” Ingalls Wilder too described holiday baking on the prairie, how her Ma “filled a big jar with cookies, and … let Laura and Mary lick the cake spoon.” Ma Ingalls made pie filling with dried apples and, in the absence of lemons, vinegar.

 

Adaptations, Novelties and Luxuries

Necessity parented invention, and the holiday menu of typical pioneers was populated with what was available to them, even if it meant vinegar in desserts. In 1884, Mrs. George Wolffarth of Texas reported joining others in a “watermelon feast.” In California and border regions, it was common to find tamales at Christmastime, tender and piping hot in their carefully tied husks.

Elsewhere in California, Evelyn Hertslet’s party dined on Victorian finger-sandwiches and mince pies, meringues and plum pudding and “tipsy cake” soaked in brandy. And at a 1967 Christmas ball in Montana, a journalist from the New York Tribune was shocked by the array of delicacies, including fresh Atlantic oysters which, thanks to chilly temperatures, had made the cross-country trek. “Oyster soup opened the course—the oysters having been shipped 3,000 miles. Elegant salads, delicious jellies, game of all kinds, candies manufactured into temples and monuments, and almost every variety of fruits, plus sparkling wines, combined to tempt the appetite.”

In wealthier homes, ambrosia—a mix of oranges, coconut, and pineapple—was a Christmas specialty sometimes shared with an elusive Saint Nicholas. While those with means may have even chosen to enjoy Christmas dinner in a restaurant, other pioneers in more desperate times resorted to boiling mule meat in melted snow. Virginia Reed of the Donner Party recalled how, despite extreme deprivation, her mother reserved a meager spread of dried apples, beans, and bacon to create a Christmas meal, urging her children to relish the modest feast, saying, “eat slowly, for this one day you can have all you wish.” Of a California Christmas in 1849, Catherine Haun wrote: “We had grizzly bear steak for which we paid $2.50, one cabbage for $1.00 and, oh horrors, some more dried apples!”

Eating bear wasn’t all that uncommon, turns out. William Thompson recounted an 1863 meal of cinnamon-bear meat in Montana, paired with frozen onions salvaged from a pile of trash behind a Virginia City general store. “The bear meat smelled so good while it was being cooked,” he wrote. “Golly, but it was rank, tough, and stringy.” Finding the meat unpalatable and “Nunley’s cake simply unapproachable,” Thompson opted for coffee and bread. And whiskey.

 

Wild West Recipes

Vinegar Pie assuages the hankerings of any sweet tooth that tends tart. You can find other versions of this surprisingly mouthwatering treat on the internet–some are similar to a buttermilk pie or even a pecan pie. If you try this very vintage recipe, note that a “teacup” is between 2/3 and 3/4 cup. It’s  recommended to use brown sugar and bake at 350 degrees, allowing the crust to get about 15 minutes head start. Paraphrased: “Beat well one egg, one teacup sugar, and one heaping tablespoon flour. Add one teacup cold water and one tablespoon sharp vinegar. Flavor with nutmeg and bake in a crust.” If you’d like more robust guidance, listen to Ma Ingalls.

Many cultures use cinnamon as a savory seasoning, and in homage to the 1863 Montana meal, you can attempt cinnamon stew with onions. Swap your typical stew meat for something more unique: oxtail, lamb, or goat (richer than beef but milder than lamb). Add ground cinnamon to your typical rub before searing your meat, and/or whole cinnamon sticks into your stew. Really load up on onions and garlic, sauteing them in the pan after browning the meat.

Remember, braising—slow-cooking submerged in liquid—is one of the most approachable methods for ensuring tender, juicy results. The crock pot was a revolution for a reason! According to “The Flavor Bible,” cinnamon also pairs well with red wine, bell peppers, and seasonings like cayenne, chili powder, coriander, and cumin. Also try rosemary, too, and be sure to add acid (a splash of vinegar or can of tomatoes) which can tenderize and brighten nearly any meat—maybe even grizzly bear.

While this qualifies as a “quick bread” in that it doesn’t use yeast, frontier bread is also a prime example of why baking for the holidays took weeks! First, slice enough butter to grease the bottom of a 9×13 pan, and place in an oven set to 200 degrees. In one bowl, mix a cup and a half each cornmeal and rye flour with one teaspoon salt; in another, two eggs, one-half cup molasses, and one cup buttermilk. Combine thoroughly but do not beat. Over the melted butter, drizzle honey and a dusting of cornmeal and pour the mixture in the preheated pan. Dot the top with butter, and again drizzle with honey. Dust with cornmeal before baking for four hours. Serve with–you guessed it–honey and butter and enjoy with loved ones.

About Sophia Ulmer

Sophia Ulmer, writer of all genres, is most interested in gender, politics, art, and culture. Her work appears in various anthologies and literary journals. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, and is currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Featured Content